Many of us are given to daydreams about winning the lottery and spending the rest of our lives lounging on a beach, Corona in hand.

But anyone laid off during this downturn can attest to the importance of a job — even a hard, thankless one — to feelings of self-worth. Labor is central to being human.

"Work extends life; it even makes us happy," he writes.

A day off to reflect on the value of work

Labor Day , which marks the end of summer, is often the occasion for mournful lamentations about the American phenomenon of overwork. We put in too many hours, get too little time off, feel guilty about taking vacations, and spend some of that time checking work email or worrying we'll be replaced.