2. The Virtues of Industry, Hard Work and Self-Reliance

World Scripture

Let one practice here good industry; let one make the needy prosperous.
Avesta, Visparad 15.1 (Zoroastrianism)

When the prayer is finished, scatter in the land and seek God’s bounty, and remember God frequently, that you may prosper.
Qur’an 62.10

Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her food in summer,
and gathers her sustenance in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a vagabond,
and want like an armed man.
Proverbs 6.6-11

Weeping is not the answer to poverty; a lazy man who is hungry has no one to blame but himself. There is no place where one cannot achieve greatness; only the lazy prospers nowhere. There is no place that does not suit me, O Divinity!
Yoruba Proverbs (African Traditional Religion)

He who says, “It is too hot, too cold, too late!”
Leaving the waiting work unfinished still,
Lets pass all opportunities for good.
But he who reckons heat and cold as straws
And like a man does all that’s to be done,
He never falls away from happiness.
Digha Nikaya 3.185 (Buddhism)

Life is sweet for the self-reliant worker.
Ecclesiasticus 40.18 (Christianity)

When you eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.
Psalm 128.2

We were not idle when we were with you, we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you. It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.
2 Thessalonians 3.8-12

The little that one produces [oneself] with a broken hoe is better than the plenty that another gives you.
Buji Proverb (African Traditional Religion)

One who claims to be a saint And goes about begging— Touch not his feet! He whose livelihood is earned through work, And part given away in charity— Such a one, Nanak, truly knows the way to God.
Adi Granth, Var Sarang, M.1, p. 1245 (Sikhism)

The person who extends a loan to the needy is greater than the one who gives charity, and one who associates a poor person with him in business enabling him to earn for himself is greater than all the others.
Talmud, Shabbat 63a (Judaism)

A clansman has wealth acquired by energetic striving, amassed by strength of arm, won by sweat, lawful and lawfully gotten. At the thought, “Wealth is mine acquired by energetic striving, amassed by strength of arm, won by sweat, lawful and lawfully gotten,” bliss comes to him, satisfaction comes to him. This is called “the bliss of ownership.”
A clansman by means of wealth acquired by energetic striving… both enjoys his wealth and does meritorious deeds therewith. At the thought, “By means of wealth acquired… I both enjoy my wealth and do meritorious deeds,” bliss comes to him, satisfaction comes to him. This is called “the bliss of wealth.”
Anguttara Nikaya 2.68 (Buddhism)

Idleness is the enemy of the soul.
The Benedictine Rule (Christianity)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

“You wealthy families, I see you drinking and dancing, enjoying yourself like the grasshopper in the fable. In the meantime, I will work so hard that my waistline will shrink like that of the ant. Go ahead, you grasshoppers! Keep singing, dancing and joking around! I will be the ant who keeps digging until I have built my own house and produced enough dirt to cover your graves.” If this is your attitude and way of life, you will revive the souls in hell and become kings and queens of the Heavenly Kingdom.
(339:146, December 10, 2000)

Hard labor relieves insomnia and stress; it is especially good for people who spend their time only thinking. If you office workers were to do even a day’s labor at the construction site, it would relieve all your stress. If you cannot sleep because of stress, I recommend you go down into a tunnel and work there digging the tunnel for several days. Then you will have no problem sleeping.
(230:168, May 1, 1992)

If you are a large tree, many birds will build their nests in your branches. Therefore, when you walk around soiled with dung, you should keep your internal dignity. Be a superb person who can dance pleasantly to the rhythm of the universe.
(Way of God’s Will 2.2)

We should experience fun in everything that we do. Farming should be fun; plowing with sweat running down our faces should be fun; carrying heavy things should be fun, too. I did all kinds of labor. As long as we are in harmony with nature and deal with every situation and relationship we face, we can succeed at just about anything.
(355:96, October 3, 2001)

You need money to succeed in your mission. No one will give it to you; you have to make it with your own hands. I built the worldwide foundation for this movement with my own hands; no one did it for me. Even if I were a castaway on a deserted island I could survive. I know what mushrooms are edible, which herbs are good to eat and which are poisonous. If I have a string and a hook, I can make a fishing pole and catch as many fish as I need. I know how to be self-sufficient wherever I go. My educational philosophy is that before your reach your thirties you should be trained to be as self-sufficient as I am.
(117:24-25, January 30, 1982)

There is no work that I, Sun Myung Moon, cannot do. In a mine, I become a miner and endure the hardships there. It may be difficult, but I think that even in that mine I have to fulfill God’s Will. I once lived among thieves deep in the mountains. I did not participate in their thievery, but I found a way to survive there. On the ocean, I am a fisherman’s fisherman. In the field, I am a farmer’s farmer. Wherever I may be on this planet earth, I am a man who is capable of making a solid foundation within three weeks with my bare hands.
(273:305, October 29, 1995)

Those who want to live off the government’s welfare benefits will never prosper, no matter how many years may pass. People who are indebted to others can never be more than servants. Rather, you should spend your life on earth helping others. If you have helped others in this life, then when you cross over to the next world you will arrive at a high realm. However, those who live for their own sake, who prefer to receive rather than to give, and who are in debt to others, will end up in the dark regions of hell.
(248:98, August 1, 1993)