Mike Rowe thinks Americans need to work more and complain less.
In an interview with Tucker Carlson Friday night — which you can find here on the Daily Caller — the former host of “Dirty Jobs” explained that Americans are struggling with their own lack of a sense of purpose, and much of that could be due to the fact that we’re constantly trying to find ways to work less, not more.
“Look, the best-selling books right now in the self-help section and in general claim to have the solution for how you can work less,” Rowe told the host. “Most of the commercials on TV ask a tacit question, you know, how could you be happier? And the answer, of course, is retire a little sooner or work 35 instead of 40 hours.”
The media, Rowe says, tries to encourage Americans to find ways to avoid a hard day’s work: take an easier job, spend more time in nature, find more creative outlets or “follow your bliss.” But, Rowe claims, that ends up leaving people without a sense of purpose.
“What you said is the business of working has an underlying inherent value to it,” Rowe said. “I do believe deeply that’s 100 percent true.”
One of the reasons Rowe works so hard on shows that promote average, working Americans doing necessary jobs, he says, is because it shows how rewarding a hard day’s work in a purposeful job can be.
“If there is one enduring lesson from Dirty Jobs, it’s the fact that those people as a group are having a better time and were more connected to their work than the vast majority of people I know who make great white collar livings,” Rowe said. “It’s just an inconvenient truth, if you will pardon the bromide, but it’s out there and there is a lot of hope in it.”
Rowe is currently working on a show that should move that ball forward even more. His Facebook-exclusive program, “Returning the Favor,” chronicles the work of Americans who are giving back to their communities.