After reading Anson Rabinbach’s book, “The Human Motor”, I began to wonder if society’s perception of work and its value it brings to one’s life should be viewed as a positive or negative thing. I have always believed in hard work and the places it can take you. I have put myself through more than a fair amount of pain and discomfort to know that fatigue is a very real thing. So, when Rabinbach walked the reader through the history of multiple physicians, sociologists and philosopher’s views on the battle between fatigue and idleness, I was very intrigued. Towards the beginning of his discussion, Rabinbach introduced some groundwork with how fatigue was discovered and how it heavily affected the way society functions.
Fatigue was considered the start point of social disorder and moral decay because the world depended on a constant working system. It was a sign of weakness and an absence of will. Reflecting on the law of thermodynamics has caused people to think that the human body is a machine and the ideal worker never gets tired. So, work hours were increased and the pressure to perform at an optimal rate was very high. But this in turn led people to realize that fatigue is an important factor and that in order to function, people need rest. People began to push for change and reform. The social, economic, and political benefits were unlocked when they discovered the most efficient way to work. They opted for shorter hours and considerable breaks in order to maximize the worker’s energy. This caused a new perception of the word “idleness”. Instead of thinking of it as committing a sin, being idle was accepted as a natural process that the body needed to go through.
A good example of the balance between work and leisure is evident in the film, “Expo of the White City”, which documents the extravagant displays of the World Fair put on in Chicago during the late 19th century. So much effort, time, and money was put into this grand expo in which countries from all over the world were given the opportunity to show everyone “what they were made of”. This ranged from material goods, technological inventions, and cultural backgrounds that worked in a paradoxical way. People were given the chance to experience something new and different. It opened their eyes to other parts of the world. But, some things provoked feelings of revulsion and fear. I think the World Fair had an undertone of competition and was utilized as a means of measuring who was at the top and who had the most power. In all the glory and show of the fair, we have to consider the work that was behind it. The preparation of putting on this show was hard to even conceive. They created the displays in record time by developing efficient techniques that have stuck with us to today. This gave way to the pleasure and leisure the fair-goers experienced. Without the hard work and effort, there would have been nothing to enjoy. Therefore, work and leisure are two processes that have to converse in order to bring order to the world.