Speakers: Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Cassandra Carmichael

There's something wrong today in the world of work and in our lives as consumers. Work hours grow and our consumption habits threaten the future of our environment. Two speakers at a Friday workshop at the UUA General Assembly suggested some perspectives on these issues, and even some possibilities for change.

Meg Riley, Director of the Washington Office of the UUA's Faith in Action Department, introduced this session by telling a story of her own "cyberwhine" about being overworked and overwhelmed. She received from Rabbi Arthur Waskow a three-word response: "Honor the Sabbath." When she responded that in her position, she worked on the Sabbath, he told her to find another Sabbath. This, she reported, led to change.

More and more middle class and well-off Americans are finding themselves overworked, overspent and overwhelmed. These problems are tied to the current study issue within the UUA on consumption as a moral issue, Riley said. Dealing with these issues is a way to bring more social justice to our own lives as well as give us more power to work on social justice issues in the wider world.

Rabbi Arthur Waskow began his part of the workshop by looking at the story of our lives. He recalled the resonances of an audience to a folk song with a chorus, "Whatever happened to the eight-hour day?"

The problem of working too many hours in a day, and too many days in a week, is a problem that unites white collar and blue collar workers. Waskow told the story of a Verizon location where the company had "disemployed" half the workers, but the number of incoming calls remained the same. This meant that the remaining workers had to double the number of calls taken, and customer wait time also increased. At times when the wait time reached certain levels deemed unacceptable, the office would enter a "red alert" meaning workers could not leave their desks for any reason at all. This was not even enough: workers were often required to work twenty to thirty hours overtime per week. It was simpler and cheaper for the company to pay overtime than to rehire the "disemployed" workers. Such working conditions, Waskow pointed out, make it difficult or impossible to spend enough times with one's family, to be part of the PTA or to get involved in the work of a citizen in the community. In this case, the Communications Workers of America eventually won a 7.5 hours/week cap on compulsory overtime in a new contract.

In answer to such problems, Waskow, who has been a leading figure in the Jewish renewal movement, has asked the question: What does it mean to think of Judaism as a spiritual practice of healing the earth?

Just as people can ignore the law of gravity and the law of gravity will find a way to get their attention, so, Waskow told the workshop participants, if we don't live in accord with the Earth and the Earth's need to rest, the Earth will demand rest. Rest is important to the Earth and to society.

But it is undeniably difficult to choose rest. Many positions require long work hours directly, as with the Verizon workers; in other fields, a professional may be considered less than serious if she or he does not work seventy-hour weeks. Defining the problem as workaholism is in part true, but as an addiction, this behavior has much to do with the social definition of work and its meaning. "There's something wrong with how society structures our lives," Waskow said. "If we're deformed by a deformed society, what do we do?"

Continental Europe works differently, Waskow pointed out, so America might, too.

Waskow suggested that faith groups, like the Unitarian Universalists, have some strengths in dealing with these problems. Faiths pay attention to values and to their priority in our lives and faiths can also mobilize people. We need to draw more on these strengths.

Politically, redefining the agenda requires, for instance, adding to the goal of a livable wage, a goal of livable hours. For now, caps on compulsory overtime are needed; in the future, capping the normal work week at 30 hours would create opportunities for social justice. "Rhythms of restfulness and rhythms of celebrations are essential to stay active in healing the world."

Waskow led the participants in seven minutes of silence, then asked participants to talk in pairs about these issues.

The second speaker of the workshop was Cassandra Carmichael, who works with the Center for the New American Dream. The Center itself practices principles like those Waskow advocated: an eight hour day, four days of work per week. The organization promotes ways that people can live more in concert with environmental and human needs: eating more naturally, living in community, recycling and responsible consumerism.

Carmichael led the group in an exercise to imagine, first, what most concerns us a bout the environment, what adds to our sense of dread. Then she outlined the positive side of the "new dream" -- and some ways to take action. Center publication are directed to practical life changes: More Fun, Less Stuff: Starter Kit and "Turn the Tide" are two of these publications.

She also gave time for participants to talk in pairs, urging them to make one commitment, even a small one, for a way to change behavior to promote a less overwhelmed lifestyle, one more in concert with the Earth's needs.

Related web sites:
http://www.freeourtime.org/
http://www.newdream.org/

Reported for the Web by Jone Johnson Lewis

 

General Assembly 2001 · Program Grid

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