Allan Kardec-THE Spirit's Book_ The Principles of Spiritist Doctrine (1989)

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CHAPTER III
II. THE LAW OF LABOUR
1. NECESSITY OF LABOUR - 2. LIMIT OF LABOUR. REST
Necessity of Labour.
674. Is the necessity of labour a law of nature?
"That labour is a law of nature, and is proved by the fact that it is a necessity, and that
civilisation obliges man to perform a greater amount of labour, because it increases the sum
of his needs and of his enjoyments."
675. Ought we to understand by “labour” only occupations of a material nature?
"No; the spirit labours like the body. Every sort of useful occupation is a labour."
676. Why is labour imposed upon mankind?
"It is a consequence of his corporeal nature. It is an expiation, and, at the same time, a means
of developing his intelligence. Without labour man would remain in the infancy of
intelligence. This is why he is made to owe his food, his safety, and his well-being entirely to
his labour and activity. To him who is too weak in body for the rougher kinds of work, God
gives intelligence to make up for it; but the action of the intelligence is also a labour."
677. Why does nature herself provide for all the wants of the animals?
"Everything in nature labours. The animals labour as really as you do, but their work, like
their intelligence, is limited to the care of their own preservation; and this is why labour,
among them, does not lead to progress, while, among men, it has a double aim, viz., the
preservation of the body, and the development of thought, which is also a necessity for him.
and which raises him continually to a higher level. When I say that the labour of the animals
is limited to the care of their preservation, I mean that this is the aim which they propose to
themselves in working. But