Thursday, September 06, 2007

Swansonites Admonish Christian Men Must Work Themselves To Death

An old slur classifies a Puritan as someone worried that somewhere someone might be having a good time.

Whether such a classification is historically accurate might make for a matter of academic debate, however, it does certainly seem to apply to the good people at Generations Radio.

In the 8/31/07 broadcast, it is lamented about the declining numbers of older men in the workforce and that a life of leisure after decades of toil is somehow tawdy and sinful.

While Rev. Swanson might be energized by the kind of work that he does, I think it is about time some of these Christian leaders realize that most of us paying their salaries usually have day jobs that are not all that fulfilling and are in fact simply the drudgery we must endure to put food on the table.

Furthermore, if we carry this analogy to its conclusion that because a gentleman of a certain age reposes himself from standard gainful employment that he has by definition surrendered to a life of sloth, does it then follow that stay-at-home wives and mothers are sluggards as well?

For just because someone is not in the traditional workplace does not mean the individual is being idle as many of today's elderly do any number of things.

Firstly, since people are living longer, theoretically someone in their 50's or 60's may have to dedicate an extraordinary amount of time to settling the final affairs of their parents.

Second, retirement from traidtional employment frees up more time for other activiities such as activism and writiing For even though I might one day retire as early as possible, I plan to keep blogging until I drop, go blind, or get sent to a reducation facility.

Thirdly and perhaps most importantly, if the man who retires in his 50's or 60's is married, doesn't that decision free up more time to tend to the needs of his wife who by that age is often an emotional wreck anyway?

by Frederick Meekins

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