"Why is work important?" - Doug Barr

Doug Barr spoke with the Foundations for Laity Renewal online community thehighcalling.org for a series of video interviews about his faith and work. Click "Show more" to see the transcript.
Doug Barr: It's been our experience at Goodwill that work transforms lives. If I had to think of, in order of priority, what transforms lives most, first would be a faith, second would be doing something for a significant other, someone you love, someone you care about. The third thing would be work.
People come to Goodwill out of work. Their self esteem is down about this low. Their spouse is upset. Their kids don't respect their parents because everybody else's dad is working. And we find that through giving them education, giving them the training skills, we can in fact increase their self-esteem. They're more confident when they go to a job interview, and as a result when they get the job. Now they're a producing member of society.
It's just the most transformative thing, outside of those other two I mentioned, that we can do.

[@Randomvids205]

I can say from not working barely a year in 5 years, this is more than accurate. Never stop working, you’ll go crazy, also talking from experience.

[@Osiris-wm2kj]

Thank you!! He nailed it!

[@thehighcallingvideo]

We appreciate the fact that it often seems like there are more problems in the world than we can ever solve. One of the questions The High Calling tries to address is how ALL of us can find meaning in the work we do through serving others. Organizations like Goodwill do good and necessary work on a huge scale, but there will always be more to do. What that looks like can be different for everyone, which is something we talk about a lot over at The High Calling website. Feel free to join us!

[@thehighcallingvideo]

Doug Barr is the CEO, so he definitely works. Most CEOs work a 60 hour work week.
We definitely appreciate the sentiment that work can be dehumanizing. In fact, The High Calling exists to help people wrestle through that challenge, by thinking about how we approach our work and how we recognize when we might need a different job.
--Marcus Goodyear, Senior Editor of The High Calling

[@iamthatiam4637]

I'm new to your channel. And this comment speak to me I'm 34 and never had a job in my life. I'm scared to work. I have social problems and idk how to deal with people. What advice can u give me when I want to find work.

[@wolfthequarrelsome504]

Everyone should work, and did work.
Where?
In the Soviet Union.

[@blacksparrow67]

I'm gonna have to disagree. I bet he doesn't work!

[@JSDesignHK]

@blacksparrow67 you’re wrong. He does indeed work. I’ve known him for 25 years

[@b.a.b7834]

@@JSDesignHK He works. His job is to say others to work. pretty damn smart.