Across the country, businesses are struggling to get people back to work. The will to work is weak! It can’t be taught in schools, and it most certainly can’t be trained on the job. No, the will to work is born in us and fostered by our parents. We are paying the price for a generation of parenting that did not instill the desire and will to work and are transitioning from a free economy to one controlled by the government. Why would people work when they make more getting government checks? We are destroying what little will to work our country has left.
And just because someone has some sense of a will to work doesn’t mean they will work well. I was recently at PetSmart to return a bunch of items that would not be used (like very expensive prescription dry food) because my cat passed away. I was already upset as I would rather he lived to eat the food than return it. I did not have a receipt because I wasn’t planning on losing my cat, but PetSmart is the only pet store that carries that particular brand. Anyway, the checker did not meet my eye nor did she offer any condolences. Not a single, “I’m sorry to hear that,” which could even be said without any emotion—just offered. Instead, she huffed and puffed about the inconvenience of having to return items without a receipt. “You’ll get a store credit” is all she said. I’ve seen her every single time I shop at that particular PetSmart for six years now, and I wasn’t surprised by her lack of sympathy because she’s always complaining about having to work. PetSmart corporate – you should be utterly embarrassed that your flagship store right near your corporate offices is one of the worst PetSmart stores I’ve ever been in, and most of the employees are found lacking. So just because someone shows the will to work doesn’t mean they will do it up to standards.
The will to do anything is like most things: use it or lose it! I see senior citizens who attend my fitness classes with an extremely high will to workout. Why? Because they know the consequences if they don’t. I was so proud of them the other day when two young ladies in their early 20’s joined our class. They were shocked to see the fitness level of these seniors, and they couldn’t keep up. “I have never worked that hard in my entire life,” said the one girl. And therein lies the problem!
Our country offers the freedom to pursue the American dream, but it doesn’t guarantee it. If we wanted a shot at it, we had to work hard to get through school and even harder at our chosen profession. Our determination grew our will to work. Why? Because we wanted to succeed! We wanted our piece of the American dream! With the propaganda that everyone should be the same, we are losing our edge as a country. Just look at the pathetic performance at the Summer Olympics!
At some point we will reach a tipping point, and none of us will receive the services we expect or pay for. We will be has-beens of the highest order, and we will all talk about how we once had it great. We will have difficult decisions to make, and I hope and pray that the American spirit rises from the ashes to make us a great nation once again.
Until we remember human nature and start demanding more of each other, we will see a decline in the desire to work. As the government takes more control, a huge portion of our population will be content being mediocre because everyone else will be, too. My only hope is that people like me who love to work, have strong work ethic and a drive to succeed will be acknowledged, pursued and appreciated as the few who try to keep our country going.
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