Dear John:

There is a parable that is very poignant and has touched me. That parable says:

In old Europe, there was a man who, at the time of his death, found himself in a wonderful and all-enjoying place. As soon as he stepped into that paradise, a man who looked like a waiter came up to him and asked, "What do you need, sir? Here you can have everything you want: all the delicacies, all the entertainment possible, and all sorts of diversions, among which there is no lack of beautiful women of a good age, are at your disposal."

The man was a little surprised, but very happy to hear this, and he secretly rejoiced: isn't this what I dreamed of on earth! All day long he savored all the delicacies of the food, while enjoying the taste of beauty to the fullest. One day, however, he became bored with it all, so he said to the waiter, "I'm tired of it all, I need to do something. Can you find me a job to do?"

To his surprise, the answer he got was a shake of the head, "I'm sorry, my sir, that's the only thing we can't do for you here. There is no work for you here."

The man was very frustrated; waving his hand angrily, he said, "That's too bad! Then *** just stay in hell!"

"Where do you think, you are?" The waiter said mildly.

John, this very humorous parable seems to tell me that losing your job is the same as losing your happiness. But sadly, some people have to lose their jobs before they can realize this. That's unfortunate!

I am proud to say that I have never tasted unemployment; it is not my luck, but the fact that I have never regarded work as a joyless drudgery, but have found infinite joy in it.

I believe that work is a privilege that brings more than sustaining life. Work is the foundation of all business, the source of all prosperity, and the shaper of genius. Work makes a young man rise to the occasion and do more than his parents did, however rich they may be. Work expresses itself in the humblest savings, and lays the foundation of happiness. Work is the salt that adds flavor to life. But one must love it before work can give the greatest boon and yield the greatest results.

When I first entered the business world, I often heard that it takes a lot of sacrifice to climb to the top. However, as the years went by, I began to realize that many of the people who were climbing to the top weren't "paying the price". They work hard because they truly love what they do. People who climb up the ladder in any industry are totally committed and dedicated to what they are doing. If you love what you do, you will succeed.

Love of work is a belief. With this faith, we can chisel the mountain of despair into a rock of hope. A great painter said it well, "The pain will pass, but the beauty will last forever".

But there are some people who are clearly not smart enough, who are ambitious but overly critical of their work, and who are always looking for the "perfect" employer or job. The truth is that an employer wants employees who work on time, who are honest and hard-working, and he only gives raises and promotions to those who work extra hard, are extra loyal, are extra enthusiastic, and spend more time doing their jobs because he's running a business, not a charity, and he wants people who are more valuable.

No matter how ambitious a person is, he has to at least get started before he can reach the peak. Once started, it is less difficult to continue. The more difficult or unpleasant the work is, the more immediately it must be done. If he waits longer, it becomes more difficult and frightening; it's a bit like shooting a gun; the longer you aim, the slimmer the chance of a shot.

I shall never forget the experience of doing my first job as a bookkeeper, when, though I had to go to work every day at dawn, and the whale-oil lamps lit in the office were very dim, that job never bored me, but fascinated and delighted me, and not even all the red tape in the office could make me lose my enthusiasm for it. And as a result, my employer was always giving me raises.

Income is just a by-product of your work. Do what you have to do, do what you have to do well, and the ideal salary will come. And more importantly, the highest reward for our labors is not what we get, but what we become as a result. Those who have an active mind are never laboring for the sake of money alone, and what keeps their enthusiasm alive is nobler than the desire to enrich themselves - they are engaged in a fascinating enterprise.

Honestly, I'm an ambitious person, and since I was a kid I've wanted to be very rich. For me, the Hewitt Tuttle Company, where I was employed, was a good place to exercise my abilities and to try my hand. It sold all kinds of merchandise, owned an iron ore mine, and dealt in the two technologies that made it possible: the railroad and the telegraph that revolutionized the American economy. It introduced me to the wonderful, vast, and colorful world of business, taught me to respect numbers and facts, showed me the power of transportation, and developed in me the abilities and qualities of a businessman. All of this has served me well in my subsequent business endeavors. I can say that without the experience of Hewitt Tuttle, I may have to take a lot of detours in my career.

Now, whenever I think of Hewitt Tuttle and my old employers, Mr. Hewitt and Mr. Tuttle, I can't help but feel grateful. That period of my working life was the beginning of my life's struggle, and laid the foundation for me to rise up, and I'll always be grateful for the three-and-a-half-year experience.

So I have never complained about his employers as some people do, saying, "We are nothing but slaves, we are kept in the dust by our employers, while they are high and mighty, enjoying themselves in their beautiful villas: their safes are full of gold, and every dollar they have has been obtained by squeezing us, honest workers! "Every dollar they have is squeezed out of us honest workers. I wonder if these complainers have ever thought: Who gave you the opportunity to work? Who gave you the possibility of building a family? Who gave you the possibility to develop yourself? If you have realized that others are squeezing you, why don't you end the squeeze and walk away?

Work is an attitude that determines whether we are happy or not. The same people are stonemasons, the same people are sculpting stone statues, and if you ask them, "What are you doing here?" One of them may say, "You see, I'm chiseling the stone, after this I can go home." This person will always see work as a punishment, and the word that comes out of his mouth most often is "tired".

Another person might say, "You see, I'm making a statue. It's hard work, but it pays well. After all, I have a wife and four children who need to be fed." This kind of person will always see work as a burden, and the phrase that often comes out of his mouth is "feeding the family".

A third person might put down the hammer and proudly point to the stone sculpture and say, "You see, I'm making a work of art." This is the kind of person who is always proud of his work, who enjoys his work, and who most often spits out the words, "This work is very meaningful".

Heaven and hell are self-built. If you give meaning to your work, no matter how big or small, you will be happy, and self-set accomplishments, no matter how high or low, will make it fun to work. If you don't enjoy doing it, anything simple becomes difficult and uninteresting, and when you scream that the work is exhausting, even if you don't sell yourself short, you feel exhausted, and the reverse is very different. That's just the way things are.

John, if you see work as a pleasure, life is heaven; if you see work as an obligation, life is hell. Examine your work ethic, and it will make us all feel good.

Love, Father