The Future of Work after Laudato si'

Abstract

The Future of Work after Laudato si’ Martin Maier SJ The encyclical Laudato Si’ of Pope Francis is a document that is both dramatic and hopeful. Dramatic because it leaves the reader in no doubt that the prevailing global system, with its reckless exploitation of natural resources and dangerous climate change, is heading for catastrophe. Hopeful because the pope does not consider this dynamic to be inevitable, but instead indicates ways to alter our course and opportunities for transformation. Politicians, scientists, academics, business executives and representatives of a large number of social movements have responded to his invitation to join a dialogue on the shaping of the future of our planet. The issue of ecology is an issue of justice. We have to hear both ‘the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor’ (LS, 49). The Pope calls for a ‘bold cultural revolution’ (LS, 114). This is closely connected to his concept of an ‘integral ecology’ and an ‘ecological conversion’. He calls for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of the planet and for another way of looking at things, ‘a way of thinking, policies, an educational programme, a lifestyle and a spirituality which together generate resistance to the assault of the technocratic paradigm’ (LS, 111). This also, of course, includes work. A major contribution of Catholic Social Teaching to the concept of work is an understanding of it as part of human dignity. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church states: ‘The human person is the measure of the dignity of work’.1 In a Christian perspective work is much more than merely a source of income. It is an integral part of human identity and fulfilment. Martin Luther, the great church reformer, put it this way using a wonderful metaphor: ‘As the birds to flying, so is man born unto labour’.2 Laudato si’ underlines, similarly, that ‘we are created with a vocation to work’ (LS, 118). This helps us to care for creation, to define and integrate ourselves in society and to unleash the rich personal growth inherent in all of us. It clearly appears with Laudato si’ that the future of human work is linked with the question of the care of creation and the future of life and the human community on the planet. We cannot separate the future of human work, the Studies • volume 108 • number 432 454 Martin Maier SJ future of ‘our common home’ and the future of the human community. Any innovation has to be evaluated with this trilogy in mind: the planet, social justice, the future of humanity. From a theological perspective, human work is seen as a participation in God’s creation. In Ignatian spirituality, which underlies Laudato si’, God is imagined as labouring in creation. He acts in the manner of a person at work. By working humans imitate the creating God and they cooperate in his continued creation (LS, 80). The Second Vatican Council states: ‘By offering his labour to God, a man becomes associated with the redemptive work itself of Jesus Christ’.3 The apex of biblical teaching on work is the commandment of the Sabbath rest. The memory and the experience of Sabbath constitutes a barrier against becoming slaves to work, whether voluntarily or by force, and against any kind of exploitation, hidden or evident. Consequently Laudato si’ emphasises: ‘We are called to include in our work a dimension of receptivity and gratuity, which is quite different from mere inactivity. Rather, it is another way of working, which forms part of our very essence. It protects human action from becoming empty activism; it also prevents that unfettered greed and sense of isolation which make us seek personal gain to the detriment of all else’ (LS, 237). Sunday is linked with the fundamental right to enjoy a time to rest. An inherent dimension of human work is social justice. Through just wages and social security systems, work promotes social justice. A fundamental orientation in shaping work is the preferential option for the poor: ‘Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always be to allow...