To Work or not to Work

 This morning, before getting up, I was thinking about why the fuck do we have to work. Also, what would really happens if we don’t have to. Then, it occurred to me that humans lives have two main problems to solve: survival and being. Maybe that distinction is nothing new, but I want to examine it, anyway. There’s already that thing about the pyramid of human necessities which could be a detailed and assorted mix of those two problems. However, I feel that everything converges in those two categories. Let’s see…

Obviously, most of us need to do something to cover our basic/health survival necessities (food, shelter, clothing… Internet, etc.), and that something is doing a job. I’d include crime here, even if it’s an illegal, unethical, and despicable kind of job. Being, on the other hand, has to do with our place in this reality, but specifically within human society. It’s a bunch of issues like identity, status, values, beliefs, purpose, and probably more doubts about ourselves that need to be solved somehow. I’m not talking here about mental or psychological well-being, as that in the end would be the entire point of solving—at least half way— the two big problems because by not doing so, your life will never be whole.

As usual, I may be stating the obvious. Yeah, you could have a job—or not even needing one—that cover your expenses but your life is miserable on several other aspects; and vice-versa. And let’s not go to the AI/UBI based idle society because we’ve already heard about the happy and unhappy retired folks of this world. But it is clear that work, as it functions right now, is not solving the needs of human survival and being. Not enough jobs, no pleasant or desired jobs, no jobs at all, no job for what you can or like to do, maybe you don’t know what do you want to do, or you don’t want to do shit (which I don’t believe because unless you are chronically depressed or have a mental condition, not doing anything is way to difficult). Now, talking about shit, there’s a lot of shit that really needs to be done, but people don’t want to do those because they’re not profitable, don’t provide status, and overall suck. It feels rather weird when someone talks about fulfillment in their lives; thinks like “I love my job” or “this is my path”. Having an ideal job or not needing to have one are most of the time useless fantasies. Apparently, the closer solution we have thought of is exploiting social media, but how many more influencers can get crammed into the seconds you give to any of them while scrolling?

About being, that’s more depressing. First, our being depends on social interaction. That interaction is now polluted with excessive individualism, status struggles, polarization of all kinds, too much of old ideas and customs, not too much quality in new ideas, ignorance, and many more things. The time that work and sleep leaves may be not enough for finding out who we are in so many contexts. As with the unhappy bored retirees, not needing to work may not fix the emptiness of some people; so the question of working or not would be scarily irrelevant. You may survive in the material aspect with a salary, and you can even escape to the second problem by just focusing on working. Really? Can you?

Maybe not everyone need to think about things like these, and they just go on with their lives, so being seems to be solved for them. Maybe I’m just craving for a job that gives me status; but playing that game only takes you to suffer for being always under someone else. OK, I give up for now! There should be a way for humans to work and not work so they feel like they are creating an idyllic society that could start exploring the universe (Star Trek theme on the background). Oh! Wait, about that, I have to tell you...