A personal story illustrates one way in which work can have deep social meaning and value. My wife is the fourth generation of her family to own and operate a small business. She had been successful at a previous job in a large cor¬poration. She seemed well poised to advance up the corporate ladder when her father reached retirement age and sought to sell the business. The business had been started by her great-grandfather and had been open for nearly one hun¬dred years. Rather than allowing the business to close or be sold to a stranger, she chose to leave her corporate career and purchase the family business.