Victory rolled over and looked at the clock. It was about 1:00 am. They'd been driving all day. Around ten they had checked in to a Holiday Inn. They had eaten, and now Dina was fast asleep next to him. He couldn't sleep for some reason. Maybe because he'd slept in so late that morning. Maybe it was because he had so much on his mind. Whatever the reason, he was awake now.
He sat up in bed and looked at Dina. Though he hadn't known it, she had done the same thing to him on Friday night, and the same thoughts ran through both their heads. He stroked the side of her head, running his hands through her rich hair. She was still fast asleep, but she wriggled a little from the pleasant contact and her mouth widened into a smile.
Victory turned on the dim bedside lamp. He rummaged around in the drawers of the nightstand and procured a Gideon's Bible, a pad of paper, and a pen. As he was flipping through to Revelations, he caught a glimpse of a sentence from John.
So don't be surprised, dear friends, if the world hates you.
"Maybe, but if I labor to do my duty, the world will love me," Victory said, as if in response to Jesus' words.
That struck him as profound, so he wrote it down on the notepad. He closed the Bible and began scribbling on the pad. After the first sentence, he wrote this:
It is the obligation of all those who can work at all to work as hard as they can. There is a very grand Fellowship throughout the world, and that is the Fellowship of diligent workers. Everyone loves a person who strives to do his best in his occupation and his life. We work to give our children a future, we work to feed ourselves and others, and we work because it is the right thing to do. It doesn't matter at what you labor, whether it be as a laborer, a businessman, a civil servant, a banker, a teacher, or anything else. Even a person employed in the lowliest of tasks should be respected and honored, because they do their work well.
Though we know that there is an invisible bond between all those who do their jobs, I suggest that we give substance to that intangible Fellowship. This is why I have decided to start the Fraternity of Labor, Business, and Merchantry. This organization will promote diligence, and it will also serve to break down the artificial barriers which we have erected. You see, people of all races, backgrounds, religions, and genders, will be welcome in the Fraternity, because all manner of people work hard.
It was a good start. For the moment he was just trying to hammer out the idea in his head, but this was a pretty good start.
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