Matthew Fox draws on a rich legacy of great mystics and philosophers East and West in laying out a profound spirituality of work in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work. Thomas Aquinas said, "To live well is to work well," and in this bold call for the revitalization of daily work, Fox shares his vision of a world where our personal and professional lives are celebrated in harmony--a world where the self is not sacrificed for a job but is sanctified by authentic "soul work.” In The Reinvention of Work, Matthew Fox asks why of all the beings in the universe only the human being is out of work.  He brings together the teachings of Eastern and Western mystics to propose a new paradigm for exploring the depths of the meaning of work and the redefining of work. Citing Meister Eckhart, Thomas Aquinas, Hildegard von Bingen, the Bhagavad Gita, Tao Te Ching, Studs Terkel, and progressive economists, Fox explores the concept of work and how it can be healthier socially, environmentally, and spiritually.  All spiritual teachers agree that joy is the first purpose of work.  Most people put their stamp on history by their work.  Work is what we spend so much time and effort preparing for (education), recovering from (weekends and vacations) and engaged in.  Surely work lies at the heart of our spiritual lives and what we choose to leave behind. Fox recounts the stories of people who reinvent themselves through work, who are willing to sacrifice position and possessions to find a vocation that matters, like the man who gives up a high-paying position to become a fireman and who is ecstatic about the meaning his decision brings to his life and others. “A splendidly illuminated path to meaning.” –Paul Hawken, author of The Ecology of Commerce