Labor is in high esteem, idleness is in shame. And so it was almost always. The expression “A small business is better than a large idleness” also speaks of this. Why and how useful labor is and harmful idleness - we will understand today.
Meaning
The meaning of the proverb boils down to a simple formula: “Better do at least something than nothing.” Why? Because labor, even the most insignificant, has three components:
- He chases away boredom.
- He has a goal.
- Labor is productive.
Idleness does not have such components, because it is empty and vast. But in addition to the above-mentioned elements of labor, there is one more side of it, which needs to be discussed separately and nevertheless to prove why small business is better than large idleness.
Labor has a prospect, but laziness does not have it
Any, even the most insignificant, business can live and develop, and if a person is not busy with anything, then this will not bring him profit. Moreover, our time is such that some manage to make money on the most seemingly trifling things. For example, someone, as he (or she) believes, has an excellent taste, and a person likes to dress people. Today, such a profession is called a "stylist." But there are people who earn a living only by choosing clothes for wealthy citizens, without touching the image as a whole. Of course, if a person is poor, then he simply does not have money for a personal stylist.
Poverty and wealth in this case are not at all important, but what matters is that a small business is better than a large idleness. Even if the occupation seems strange and incomprehensible to others. Who knows, maybe a person will become a trendsetter in 10 or 20 years.
By the way, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates also started small. And what happened in the end? Everyone knows. And this example even managed to fill his mouth. In any case, there is no escape from the facts.
Dale Carnegie and the proverb
The books of the American psychologist Dale Carnegie are widely known . They can be treated differently, but he also has the wise thought: “The cheapest cure for neurosis is to be busy.” Thus, it turns out that the proverb “Small business is better than large idleness” also has a psychological dimension. Boredom and unemployment are truly dangerous. If a person does not know where to apply himself, then different bad thoughts start up from him, from which he falls into depression or other unpleasant and risky conditions. If a person is busy, then he does not have time for groundless thoughts, he needs to complete the tasks.
Therefore, work is good not only in that it provides a livelihood and fills a person’s life with content, but the work also has a therapeutic meaning: it does not allow a person to go crazy with thoughts on, for example, the meaning of life. Why bother with all sorts of abstract stupidities when specific tasks are waiting for their solution? The answer is obvious.
And if a person thinks, he will understand: the proverb “Small business is better than large idleness” says the same thing.