But let's not forget that Labor Day is a celebration of the labor movement, dedicated to the social and economic achievements of workers all over the world.
Leaders provide answers as well as direction, offer strenght as well as dedication, and speak from experience as well as understanding of the problems they face and the people they work with.
The renowned psychologist Martin Seligman says meaning comes from belonging to and serving something beyond yourself and from developing the best within you.
Job security or stability was the second most important career goal (work-life balance was number one) , followed by a sense of being dedicated to a cause or to feel good about serving the greater good.
Everything about it was sacred, the graves of the men who had died for it, the battle fields, the torn flags, the crossed sabres in their halls, the fading letters from the front, the veterans.
Sometimes the problems are those of the people paying for the science; sometimes they are posed by developments the scientists are interested in; sometimes they are problems that grow out of science itself.
Only through the unwavering dedication, creative problem solving, and incredible hard work of local communities, national governments, and global partners alike has a polio-free world moved within reach.
Whether that's an admirable sign of his dedication, just the predetermined outcome of an uncompromising vision or a token of artistic stubbornness, I'll leave up to you.
This becomes pretty clear when you focus on the brilliant scientists, dedicated individuals and new ideas that are solving some of the world's toughest issues.