This was in my daily reading yesterday–
“…I think doing simple things is just as important in God’s sight as the highest states of contemplation. Why? Whatever I do for love gives honor to God. It’s all one and the same…whenever I sin, I step off this path.” -Mechthild of Madgeburg (1208-1282), The Flowing Light of the Godhead
I like it when everyone gets included. Don’t worry about God, worry about love, that’s something relevant to everybody. When people act out of fear, it’s different from when people act out of love. Transactions, in particular those mediated by money, are different from actions, because they are relationships between things, not between people. They can appear genuine, indeed, one frequently encounters claims of authenticity attached to transactions. Your waitress is nice to you because that’s her job. A stranger who smiles back is a sacred vision.
Too much is made of loving one’s work today. A chef nowadays must always claim possession of a driving passion for the culinary arts, but it will not ultimately dispel the fact that returns from growth are overwhelmingly allocated to capital. That is to say, chefs may be expected to work more than they are being fairly compensated for (because they are so passionate), with the implicit promise of future earnings increase, and the chances are that any one chef will burn out from overwork and never realize their expected potential earnings. The people making money in the restaurant business are the owners and investors. And that is because the most important ingredient in any business plan these days is finance.
But I digress.
samuel barbour 