May Day also known as International Workers' Day is official holiday in Ukraine. Do you remember the slogan "Peace! Labor! May!"? I don't remember the meaning of this holiday. It was associated with socialism and communism. I think for that reason the meaning of this holiday is lost. For most Ukrainians May Day is just a day off work. The Second of May is day off also. May Day is soon followed by Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, which is official holiday also. Many people try to combine these holidays and get additional vacations. It has become the primary meaning of the holiday. Usually May Day people spend on fresh air and roast shashlik.
Why did I think of May Day in the autumn? Because it turns out that there is Labor Day in USA and Canada also. It is a holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. This holiday is in honor of working people. It is not a day off. This annual holiday constitutes a tribute to the efforts to make, build, construct and create. US was made, built, created from nothing, through hard work.
I would like to recall a novel by Leo Tolstoy titled "What Then Must We Do?" The author asks this eternal question "what must we do?". He replies: we must work!
I read memoir of Tolstoy's son Sergey. He wrote that after graduating from the university he came to the father for advice about future occupation. Tolstoy replied him: "You don't need to seek for occupation. There are many ways of spending time usefully. A sweeping the streets is also useful occupation".
How many people are interested in sweeping the streets? Not many. We seek for comfortable workplace in office with high salary and coffee machine.
I am sure our attitude to May Day reflects our attitude to labor in general. Many people try to seek for easy money and bed of roses without hard work. But work is not a way of spending time for money only. It is a way for personal growth and getting happiness. So how do you think: do people who are focused on work, enthusiastic about career or own business really need a slogan "Peace! Labor! September!"? Certainly not!
Many will say that it is not a good time for seeking work or start new business in Ukraine because economical crisis, military conflict. And so on and so on. But you can always use what you get!
So friends! I address first of all to our guests. Come to our club, get membership, use this time for polishing your public speaking skills and English. Use what you get! And happy Labor Day!