Unsupported Speculation

I’m re-reading a small book by a famous Russian Orthodox priest that lived in the 1800s, and in one part of it, a fellow named Nicholas Motovilov implied that there was some idea going around in 19th century Russia that laboring as a monk was fashionable.

This is not as ridiculous as it sounds. The same thing happens here in the west when people decide that to flit about in Buddhist robes with a shaved head while they fetch pails of water is desirable for some reason.

Anyway, based on what I read, apparently people were attracted to the idea of working visibly to others with long beards and long dark monk’s robes, and laboring, laboring, laboring. Yes, 19th century Russia must have been awesome. I’m sure the monasteries got a lot of work done as well.

I don’t know where I’m going with this, but I just wonder if there is some mistaken cause and effect idea with that as well, as though laboring itself accomplishes something spiritual, and that all you need to do is work.