Luther Halsey Gulick

Mind and Work Luther Halsey Gulick

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1908. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... chapter xiii A muscle to be healthy must contract, a gland to be healthy must secrete, a nerve cell to be healthy must discharge. That is, health in each of these cases depends on their doing work that is adapted in kind and extent to the power available. This is a general law applicable to all of one's powers, mental, moral, social, and indeed to one's self as a whole. Every person to be really healthy, balanced, and sane needs adequate work of such a character as to occasionally call for all of his power. Hence the truth of the old saying, "Blessed is the man who has found his job." He is blessed not merely because he is going to help the world, although he may do that too, but blessed because he has found his job and in this discovery has gotten onto a level of sanity. The person who has not something to do that will give him the consciousness of being needed, who feels that he can stay out of the game of life and nobody would miss him, is in an unwholesome state of mind. We all need to be needed. It is one of the great stimuli of life. Every once in a while we hear of some one committing suicide because there was a feeling of not being necessary. This consciousness of being needed is one of the great moral ballasts of life. It is worth noting that in the most intelligent treatment of the insane it is the custom, where the condition of the patient allows it, to assign him regular work and regular responsibilities suited to his powers. This method has proved efficacious in many cases in restoring mental balance. It re-arouses in the patient's mind the feeling of being needed; it helps him to fit into the rational scheme of things again. His power of assuming responsibility is small, of course; but as his power increases, the responsibilities increase likewise....