The late philosopher Marcus Berquist once made a remark about how working with ones hands has a significant value for the one pursuing philosophy. I wish I could remember his words exactly- but the point was that hard work never hurt anyone – and don’t trust a philosopher who has no experience with honest labor. That is at least the way I understood it at the time.
Hence this posting in the “Liberal education at work” series.
Please be advised that I am not ready to defend this posture when using a sledgehammer. But I think whoever coined the phrase “back-breaking labor,” was certainly a man with sledgehammer experience.
Proper use of a sledgehammer? Ouch…maybe they should make these with longer handles?
After a full day I think I would have opted for a jack hammer.
Next… an actual shovel ready job!
Liberal education and the “shovel ready job.”
After several weeks of buying 20 bricks at a time, we ended up with this. Now I just to have replant the grass along the sides.
Voila! Brick Pavers.
Classical Catholic Education 
That is great, Mr. Langley! 🙂
Yes, it does seem that manual labor has significant value to contemplation; St. Benedict certainly thought so! Though why do you think that is? Both rest and labor seem to aid the intellectual pursuits. I wonder why…