Earning an honest living

The Occupy Movement of last fall, which is still smoldering around the country, brought to light a glaring discrepancy between the pay rates of CEOs and high level management types in big corporations versus the boots on the ground, average employee.
While earning a living and providing for ourselves and our family should be the goal of every person, the trend away from real, honest labor and towards an "information economy" has devalued and distanced the average American from good, old fashioned work.  I wonder how many members of what the Occupy Movement calls "The 1%" have, in their adult lives made an attempt to earn a honest day's living.
In the classic movie Caddyshack, Judge Smails dismisses Danny's attempt at conversation with the quip, "The world needs ditch diggers too."  While the line is used to degrade and demoralize the young Danny, a strong comparison can be made between the attitude of the elite "Masters of the Universe" and those employees working for them.  Unfortunately those "Masters of the Universe" have never dug a ditch, much less spent much time trying to live off the salary they offer to their employees.
However, there is a peace and a contentment to actually accomplishing a physical task and being compensated for it.  Whether that is assembling a guitar, raising chickens, digging a ditch or putting a roof on a house, the ability, knowledge, skill and patience necessary to accomplish a given task is under-appreciated and certainly under-compensated.  I wonder how many CEOs started in the trenches with their company versus coming out of law school or business school and getting hired into a management track then bouncing around having never actually produced something themselves.
In recent months, I started raising chickens, ducks and bees, partially as a hobby and partially to augment my income.  To this point, I've invested in equipment feed, construction of coops, hives and feeders, and my time.  The work hasn't been hard, but it takes time and requires a great deal of patience.  The start-up costs are all mine.  Of course this also means I spend time shoveling chicken shit, mucking out make-shift duck ponds and getting stung by bees.  None of which is pleasant, but it is real honest work.  At the end of the day, I feel I've accomplished something, which ultimately is more valuable than any 6-figure income.  In the end, these endeavors may be experiments that are successful, they may not be, but at least I'm working, I'm happy about it, not degrading, abusing or demeaning any other creatures.  If one day I am fortunate enough to be in a position of influence, I will be able to say that I have done a day's work, made my money through my own sweat and blood, and hopefully will consider those who through their efforts allow me to be successful.