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Holy Tradition of Working: Passages from the Writings of Eric Gill

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If you know Gill only as a graphic artist and type designer, Gill's work is still worth knowing. There's more, though. His real passion for the unity of labor, art, and Christian life only comes through in writings like these.

Buddhism's "Noble Eightfold Path" includes right mindfulness and right livelihood as aspects of the life that leads to enlightenment. Without actually referring to the Eastern tradition, Gill aligns those concepts closely with devout and communitarian Catholicism. If you accept that mankind was made in the image of God the creator, then acts of creation, within the bounds of human ability, become holy duty and responsibility. Then, as an echo of God's responsibility toward His creations, Gill phrases a person's life work as a responsibility toward the society in which s/he lives.

This philosophy does not lend itself to sound bites. It exists as a huge whole, with many threads intertwined. Each strand, taken in isolation, doesn't sound like much. Woven together, they support each other and form a complex pattern. The fabric thus woven won't fit everyone - parts certainly don't work for me - but has a beauty about it that demands admiration.

I recommend this book to anyone looking for meaning in life. Whether you agree with Gill or not, this points to a larger and fuller meaning than any other Western writer I know.

-- wiredweird