The more given, the less earned

Jewish World Review ^ | 4/21/2009 | Dennis Prager

[ReformationFan]

One of the reasons for the ascendance of the English-speaking world has been that the English language is almost alone among major languages in having the word "earn."

Those of us whose native language is English assume that the phrase "to earn a living" is universal. It isn't. It is almost unique to English. Few languages have the ability to say this.

In the Romance languages, for example - a list that includes such major languages as Spanish, French, and Italian — the word used when saying someone "earns" money, is "ganar" in Spanish, "gagner" in French. The word literally means "to win." In Hebrew the word "marveach" means "profits." In German, the word "verdient" means "deserves."

Obviously, it is very different to "win" or to "deserve" or to "profit" than to "earn."

Since the 1960s-'70s, a concerted effort has been made to weed the word, and therefore the cultural value, of "earning" from American life. Increasingly little is earned. Instead of earning, we are increasingly owed, or we have more rights, or we are simply given.

Many American kids no longer earn awards or trophies for athletic success. They are given trophies and awards for showing up. These trophies are not earned, just granted — essentially for breathing.

Another increasingly widespread concept that undermines the notion of earning is "unconditional love." The term, which was barely used prior to the 1960s, is now ubiquitous. It is a prominent goal, a human ideal to strive for. The idea of having to earn love is more than unheard of today; it would strike most moderns as morally suspect.

[ReformationFan]

Today's Dennis Prager column.

[HiTech RedNeck]

UCL is a Christian concept and scarcely new. The abuse of it in the secular sphere is the problem.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Also, Christianity makes plain that love doesn’t just mean making nice. It means insisting on accountable and civilized behavior. It means warning of responsibility.

[Bainbridge]

UCL is a distortion of the true concept
of Love thy neighbor and God loving the
world. It is a corruption that has done
great damage. I agree with Praeger.

[HiTech RedNeck]

To remove it from theological context makes it meaningless.

[Steely Tom]

Ayn Rand had one of her main characters say that the most valuable contribution America made to the world was the phrase "to make money."

[Bainbridge]

Actually, it is dangerous.
When we look at the words
of Jesus they are generally
accompanied by words like “if” and
“then”. His admonitions are not
condition less. That is a pop
psychology idea that is ridiculous
if analyzed for a minute.

[HiTech RedNeck]

Well for one thing you sided with a non Christian believing Jew. That should be a red alert right there.

[Bainbridge]

What flag is that?
You think that the concept
of “unconditional love”
is a Christian concept?
Do some research. It is a
psychological term, not a
theological one. It was picked
up, like so many other pop buzz
words and misused by preachers
and is NOT a Biblical concept,
Old or New Testament

[HiTech RedNeck]

You could not be more wrong. Both testaments speak of God's love for the quintessentially undeserving, and the New Testament even of God loving before He was loved back.

[JeepInMazar]

How about Earn Bread?