I was musing this morning about how so many of us dream of getting rich quick and then taking it easy. We complain about being so tired in our 30s and 40s and wished that we could just be done working. I was one of those, dreaming about retirement.
Now, as retirement looms closer, I am realizing how much I actually enjoy working and how much I will miss it when I truly am too tired to do it.
Both Plymouth Colony and Virginia Colony started out as communes. Plymouth Colony was supposed to be a Utopian Commune with everyone holding everything in common. The Virginia Colony was supposed to encourage capitalism, but everyone was first indentured so lived communistically until their indenture had been paid.
Both colonies had a hard time flourishing, because those that could work hard had no incentive to when they received the same recompense as those that could not work hard. So three years in, Governor Bradford of Plymouth Colony decided to shift to capitalism. Within the year the colony was on excellent footing. About that same year, Puritans took over Virginia Colony and also gave colonists their own land to take care of, even though their indentures were not yet through. This also saved Virginia Colony.
There are some people who inherit money. There are some people who work extremely hard their whole life and barely scrape by. There are people who do run into horrible obstacles such as racism, ageism, disabilities not of their own making, and many other things. But in general, if you are willing to work, there is a dream to be had here. You may not have the grandest house, the fastest car, the fanciest clothes, the most lavish food or the most impressive vacations, but you can live a good life that includes sharing that goodness with others.
The Bible gives us many instructions on how to live a successful life. One of the first is in the very first few chapters. Exodus 20:9-10 tells us that we should labor for six days and rest on the seventh.
One of my ancestors, John Quincy Adams, worked toward his dream of having a country free of slavery, dying before he saw the dream, but dying trying. He had been a Senator, then the 6th President and finally, died working as a member of the House of Representatives. He did not let status get in the way of working for what he dreamed of. And because of his efforts, and the effort of many others, slavery was abolished just 15 years later.
Here’s to dreamers and the work it takes to realize those dreams!
"Most Likely to Succeed" 