“A mind always employed is always happy. This is the true secret, the grand recipe, for felicity.” – Thomas Jefferson
While it’s never bad to take a break from the day-to-grind of our jobs, I was struck when I visited Jamaica a few years ago by how differently they celebrated their labor day compared to how we celebrate it here in the U.S.
For us, it’s a day to laze around and do little, after having likely traveled somewhere. That’s what I’m doing this Labor Day, myself.
In Jamaica, most of the community got out and actually did labor. And while I was there I got to participate in this through the projects that a local Catholic church was doing. For Labor Day in Jamaica, I was out in the street re-applying paint to curbs and roads. Everyone had claimed various projects that would make the community look better or improve the quality of life on a day-to-day basis.
It was absolutely amazing to see how much was accomplished in one day with the whole city working together.
Could you imagine something like that ever taking off in the U.S?
