Important Work

Work is of course important. Work on something you love and you are rewarded even aside from being remunerated. And not all work is obvious. Nor is it always fully appreciated. There has been much work here behind the scenes recently. I have been developing ideas and working on activities, for the benefit of this Forum and related efforts. Coinciding with this, our having a new website here, with different host and webmaster involvement, has meant the reposting as an archive, of the previous articles that I have posted over recent years, for ready access. In my role as In-House Writer and Organiser for the Ustinov Prejudice Awareness Forum, I appreciate the work of Alexandre Dumur, our colleague, in the technically involved aspects of this. I know that our Founder Igor Ustinov, in common with most artists, is a man who loves his work, and feels likewise.

The beginning of May sees the celebration of workers, their rights and conditions, at the centre of this international, and in many countries, national, consideration. May Day, long a cry for help in maritime waters or airborn conflicts, becomes a cry of strength in collective solidarity or public demonstration. Happy Workers Day, is within this context, a greeting, but could and should be a description. The happy worker is the the productive one. It is to ensure the happiness of workers, that such days, periods of public holiday, exist and thrive. Too often the worker is aware of the status of being employed by a higher authority, sometimes even without personal autonomy. It is true that the position of workers, particularly of the workforce, has, in most countries improved over generations. But such improved situations are indeed the result of aquiring and utilising force, or at least of forces, powerful forces, of trade unions and other groups, the forcefulness of collective effort, albeit, with moral compass. Yet what hope for the casual labourer, the insecure employee, the self employed, or, and especially, the unemployed?!

Increasingly it is the unemployed who are demonised. Governments of parties and politicians running out of people to be able to stigmatise with any free reign of acceptability, have all too often scapegoated the workless. Lacking work, is here, lacking dignity. This is an area of concern we here, in this Forum, have to more than touch on. The language of such demonised objects of patronising attitudes, these real people, individuals with various life experiences, not political footballs to be kicked around by the powerful forces that too often do so. There are many forms of work. Some are paid. Others are voluntary. All are valid. Each time we celebrate the worker, let us spare a thought for the varied ways in which people work, whether for remuneration or not.

In reflecting on this subject this week, I had a particular thought. I have had the great pleasure of working with the distinguishd actor, Sir David Suchet, whom I interviewed some time ago, and who I found to be very eloquent and highly cooperative . A delightful man, he has since said to me in a further interaction on learning of this work at the Ustinov Prejudice Awareness Forum, ” The work that you do is very important.”  This coming from a man who knew the man who inspires this venture, Sir Peter Ustinov, and who also played, many would say definitavely, the detective Hercule Poirot, is much appreciated.

Sir David, like Sir Peter, knows what it’s like to be able to be successful working in a field of endeavour you love. Many do not have such fulfillment. Happy is he or she who does. We shall continue with this important work . I have much to share with you.