When you're a student at a school like the Alabama School of Math and Science, you tend to notice how hard even young adults work. Almost everywhere you go in this country, you see people who work hard and dedicate many hours of their time to their jobs. Some would call it obsessive, while others choose to call it passion for what they do. North America differs from other countries in its view of work and leisure. Reading the Protestant work ethic was very interesting because it explained some of the origins of this near addiction to work. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay I have lived in the United States since I was 6 years old, but grew up in a Ukrainian/Russian family, so I could see both sides of the view. My parents are both hard workers, but they also enjoy their free time. They believe that work is a good thing and helps you have the things you need to survive, but free time is also very healthy because it is the time you need to learn more about yourself and step out of your comfort zone to discover the world around you. . Reading the article, you might conclude that some Calvinists almost equate leisure with sin. Additionally, Calvinists believed that your life was already predestined before you were even conceived and that there was no way to change your destiny. Although I personally believe that God predestined you to some extent, I believe that you still have to make the right and/or wrong decisions to determine your ultimate outcome in this life. Yes, I believe God has a say in where you start your life in this world, whether it's a slave or the son of a rich heir, but you have a say in how far you go . I appreciated how Barbara Goodrich explained the history and vision of the Protestant work ethic in early America, but she also added these other facts. I particularly remember how she explained that our country's founding fathers were deists, not Christians. Even though they respected Christianity, the country was not founded on it and therefore those who claim that the United States is founded on Christianity are simply historically incorrect. Little facts like that really capture readers' attention and also help them learn something new. Another thing I don't completely agree with is the opinion that if you love your job, then it's not really working. I believe that for an individual to be happy, they must do a job that they truly love. In the end, he will work even more since he does not consider it work. There were also examples of Calvinism in the modern world in the text. One was that people were very passionate about an issue but didn't advocate for it because they thought they should be working on it instead. I feel like it's a bit silly. We have all been given the gift of life to change and learn something new. If you're too afraid to stand up for something you STRONGLY believe in, can you really pretend that you're still truly passionate about the topic? Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get Custom Essay Overall, I enjoyed reading this article and learning something from..