Bricks without straw…………..

This week, my Lent reflections directed me to a passage in the book of Exodus chapter 5.

That same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people, as well as their supervisors, 'You shall no longer give the people straw to make bricks, as before; let them go and gather straw for themselves.  But you shall require of them the same quantity of bricks as they have made previously; do not diminish it, for they are lazy; that is why they cry, 'Let us go and offer sacrifice to our God.'  Let heavier work be laid on them; then they will labour at it and pay no attention to deceptive words.

The people of Israel are forced to try to make bricks without straw.  An unreasonable expectation from Pharaoh and one which they could not meet.

I have been struck by the number of conversations I have had this week that have brought this text back to mind:

the conversation with an older woman who lives alone and whose family and relatives are too busy to visit her; whose nephew comes to the door to deliver a birthday card but cannot come in because he has not got time;

the conversation whilst having my eyes tested with an optician feeling trapped by the continual drive to work more in order to have more, despite his best efforts to convince himself to do otherwise;

the conversation with a friend who is married to a teacher and is worried about the pressure he is under from supervision, examination of his marking, SATs results, competition among colleagues and the pressure of keeping up with changes;

the conversation with a young man only just starting out in his working career and who is finding the pressure of the expectations of the company he is working for too much already;

We are not being asked to make bricks without straw, but we are being asked to produce the same (or more), with fewer staff and less time to recuperate.  Levels of stress are high.  The work place has become toxic in many many places and it seems the drive to work longer hours (unpaid), and to make what we do at work the number one priority in our lives has got out of hand.

When did we begin the competition on who could work with the highest level of stress and desperation?  When did boasting about how busy and overworked you are become something to boast about?

Another conversation - with a friend whose employer was asking them all to fill in cards re-committing themselves to their employer.  This felt like idolatry.

I am not saying we should not be committed to our work, neither am I saying we should not work hard and do our best.  It simply seems we have got out of balance.  The 'Egyptians' in the form of the forces of productivity, consumerism and competition are in control.  And they are hard taskmasters.  And the people are exploited.  And the people are so distracted that they cannot pay attention to the call of God who says 'my yoke is easy and my burden is light'.

We were not created to live this way.  I am opting out - please stop me if you see I am getting sucked in!