The ‘dirty jobs’ and their possible redemption

Fëdor Dostoevskij in his book Notes from the House of the Dead warned that: “If a man is forced to make a hole in the ground, and then cover it with earth, over and over again, I am convinced that within a few days he would hang himself or commit capital offences, because he would prefer to die rather than endure such humiliation, shame and torture”.

In recent years, a lack of a sense of work has emerged as one of the causes of malaise in Italy too. We see this in various service sectors, where low wages and the poor quality of the jobs create young people who “no longer believe”, “discouraged by negative experiences that have plunged them into a spiral of progressive depression, not only economic, but also emotional and relational”, and that slowly leads them to inactivity.

This is what the research of the Youth Observatory (Osservatorio Giovani) of the Toniolo Institute (2021) states.

But what should the role of work be in advanced societies? This theme was addressed by Studs Terkel in his Working, published in 1974 in the USA, which immediately became a bestseller and is now published by Marietti 1820 with the same title.

For Tom Patrick, working in a bank didn’t make sense. For a job to make sense, it must have a positive impact on society. The common thread in all the testimonies is that they seek meaning in their work that goes beyond the pay cheque. What drives them is their desire to make a difference in the world and leave a mark on history.

“I believe that most of us are looking for a vocation, not a job”, explains Nora Watson. “Most of us, like the assembly line worker, have a job that is too small for our spirit. The job is not big enough for people’s spirits”. “I’m a mule”, says a steelworker.

“A monkey can do what I do”, says the receptionist and the emigrant worker: “I'm worth less than a piece of agricultural equipment”.

“I'm an object”, says the supermodel. Terkel also talks about violence. He talks about ulcers and accidents, screams and fights, nervous breakdowns and, above all, daily humiliations.

 In addition to the almost daily deaths at work, there is another ‘death’ made up of scars, both physical and psychological, that remain even when you go home

Those voices from fifty years ago are not different from those we hear today, also in Italy. In addition to the almost daily deaths at work, there is another ‘death’ made up of scars, both physical and psychological, that remain even when you go home, and that are a real threat to your soul and that of our society.

Terkel also mentions some fortunate cases who are satisfied with their work. These cases only serve to emphasise that the person comes before the job, that giving meaning to one’s work has different and deeper effects that go well beyond one's salary.

It’s true, the story of the first couple in Eden reminds us that, because of sin, man “shall eat bread by the sweat of his face” (Genesis 3:19). This curse has also caused deeper “sweat”.

There’s the case of a customer who said: “You don’t have to smile, I’ll still give you a tip”. She replied: “Keep it. I wasn’t smiling because of the tip. Tips should be abolished. It’s like giving a dog a bone. It makes you feel small”.

A “sweat” that comes from the way one is treated, from shoddy work or from the mortification of one’s skills.

The expectations of young people reported in the research of the Toniolo Institute (2021) and expressed in an ‘existential’ way in Terkel’s book, tell us that, after all, whether we admit it or not, man is looking for a work ethic that is able to respond to deeper needs; those desired by God the ‘creator’ of work.

“The good Christian news is that work can be revived... by recovering dignity, rebuilding sociality, and relaunching its purposes”

To reduce this disconnect between work and the person, between job and vocation, “the good Christian news is that work can be revived... by recovering dignity, rebuilding sociality, and relaunching its purposes in taking charge of its complexities”.

Richard Steele, in his 1684 book The Tradesman’s Calling, tried to put these biblical principles into practice. He stated that legitimate jobs “must be appropriate for the person, for his mental abilities and for his physical abilities”. They must therefore promote “the true temporal, spiritual or eternal happiness of mankind”.

A cultural reform is needed to achieve this. In other words, a reform according to the gospel.

Nino Ciniello, theologian in Italy. This article was first published in Italian by Italian magazine Loci Communes, translated and re-published with permission.