Ivan F. Star Comes Out

Teaching work ethic has great potential to improve life
By Ivan F. Star Comes Out

Thinking about life on my home land, I recall reading a phrase in a magazine, “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man how to catch fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” I was mildly surprised to learn that this phrase is not an ancient Chinese proverb nor is it a biblical quote. It was first coined in 1885 by an English novelist, Anne Isabella Thackeray Ritchie (1837–1919).

Primarily, this expression implies that providing for one’s self is better than having to rely upon someone else. In other words, work ethic refers to the belief that there is moral benefit in work (earning) and its inherent ability to strengthen character. Our ancestors lived by work ethic which allowed them to be a strong and influential people.

Even as recently as the 1950s, Lakota people enjoyed a kind of independence which I don’t see today. For example, nearly every home had a large garden, a root cellar, canning equipment, and implements with which they cared for and raised crops and livestock. They also built their homes from hand-hewn logs. They worked hard to make a decent life within the confines of reservation life.

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(Ivan F. Star Comes Out, POB 147, Oglala, D 57764, (605) 867-2448, mato_nasula2@outlook.com)

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