Labour now

Editor: The true meaning of Labour Now is that everyone would find virtue in the dignity of work. Each of us will treasure the fact that we can contribute to the enhancement of our home, village, town, country, region, and the world. We would not be totally dependent.

Some employers will not hire people who are out of work. Perhaps this attitude was taken from experience. Valuable habits of discipline, punctuality, problem-solving, cooperation, responsibility, and respect for authority can be learned from working.

To gain this kind of experience if you are out of work, you can volunteer at a workplace. Arrange a schedule and keep it. If you employ yourself subject yourself to getting your tasks done with regularity and keep records including financial records with the public financial institutions. The people you do business with can also serve as a good reference for you. Service your debts on time. These may include rent, mortgage, utility bills shop debts, and loans from relatives. Your money trail speaks volumes of the type of person you are and the nature of your character.
Organizations to which you belong can give good references if you prove yourself to be a good member. These may include churches, youth groups, and sports clubs.

If you are the recipient of Public Assistance or a Scholarship, use the resources for the purpose for which they were given. Students receiving assistance will study diligently and obtain excellent grades in appreciation of the sacrificial help the public is giving them. Adults will apply the funds to living expenses including food, shelter, and clothing. Spending these monies in the Rum Shop or at the Lotto Booth draws the ire of the public.

A budget should be made so that maximum benefits can come from the available funds. Public funds, whether Public Assistance, Non-Contributary NIS benefits, Life To Live resources, and Prime Grants should be accounted for. The Public will be satisfied knowing that the resources are utilized in the best way and are contributing to the sustainable development of the recipients. Public Assistance could be a blessing or a curse.

It is a curse if recipients become totally dependent upon Public Assistance and lose the desire to work and to sustain themselves if they are able to do so. Learned helplessness can pass on from one generation to the next.
Public Assistance can be a blessing for those who use it only when needed for the minimal amount of time to tide them over until they can become sufficiently productive to sustain themselves.

Anthony Stewart, PhD