Thinking about the effects of our work

It will do us all good to remember the principle of "right livelihood". Here's a simple story from the Desert Fathers of early Christian monasticism:

An old man said: I never wanted work that was useful to me but loss to my brother. For I have this expectation, that what helps my brother is fruitful for me.

— Desert Father in Desert Wisdom translated by Yushi Nomura

To Practice This Thought: Make sure that no aspect of your work contributes to the exploitation of another being.

It is very difficult to practice this principle 100% because there is so much exploitation in the world and we are all intricately connected. But we can work toward the ideal of not contributing to the exploitation of others.

I found the above on the Spirituality and Practice site.