American factory output is greater than ever, but barely 10% of all Americans work in manufacturing. American agricultural output is greater than ever, but barely 1% of all Americans actually work on farms. Another 11% are involved in construction and transportation.
As technology advances, as robotics improve, as automation makes further progress, fewer Americans will be needed to make, grow, build, and move things. Eventually, a flight of fancy may lets us imagine a nation so automated that only a few people are needed to provide the programming for the lights-out factories that crank out all that we need.
The Church has consistently said that work and prayer are vital to salvation. The Amish still operate that way. They utilize a far larger percentage of their population in growing food, and do so with remarkable inefficiency.
But, what is the need for unnecessary work?
If honesty is the best policy, we have to ask, “Isn’t forcing people to do work that could be done by machines enslavement?”
Indeed, we may have reached a point where St. Benedict’s encouragement to “Work and Pray.” with automation, may be replaced by “Pray.”
St. Benedict was a brilliant man, loved by God and countless monks and nuns who organize and spend their lives according to his wisdom in every century. If we look at the number of monasteries and convents organized by his principles, and the number of people who freely chose to live by his Rules, we see that he was an organizational genius. Neither the author or readers of his are not fit to tie his shoes.
But, St. Benedict’s rules came before automation. Now, should we consider that “Work and Pray.”, with automation, may be replaced with “Pray.”
