Prosperity and Cultural Crisis

The Benedictine work ethic carries within itself the seeds of Prosperity, and this in turn produces a crisis in culture. When the Protestant Reformation re-emphasized this work ethic in the 1500's, it revitalized Western Europe and helped create the affluence enjoyed by North America and Europe today. But a funny thing happened along the way. Manual labor metamorphosed from a sacramental expression of holiness into a Thing worshipped for the material stuff it could provide. With technological advances, work also changed from a basic physical necessity into an expression of one's own unique individuality and personal fulfillment, thus creating the concept of the Career.