We sometimes think it would be very nice to have no work to do. How we envy the rich people who have not to work for their living but can do just what they desire the year round. Yet when we feel like this, we make a mistake. Sometimes rich people are not so happy as we think they are because they are tired of having nothing to do. Most of us are happy when we have regular work to do for our living, especially if the work is what we like to do. The first thing work does for us, is to give us happiness. Then work gives us self-respect. The idler, however rich he is, lives on the work of others. He is like a beggar in the streets, who takes the money of others. Such people do not live independently, and ought to feel ashamed of them. But the honest worker, who earns his living by useful toil, can hold up his head. Regular work helps to build up character. It teaches us good habits such as punctuality, carefulness, thoroughness and faithfulness in work. It is the man who works, not the idler that, as a rule develops the best character.
Vocabulary
Envy—hate
Toil—hard work
