Why We Work

We often lose sight of why we work in the first place, like a parent overworking himself so that his children can have a better future, but who forgets to actually spend time with them.

The most obvious reason is we need to make a living. We work because we require money to cover our needs and desires. Mostly to chase our desires. If you need less, you can work less for the sole purpose of making a living. 

It might seem evident, but you probably heard countless stories of people whose living costs increase proportionally to their income: a bigger house, a bigger car, a bigger watch… you name it. And then they complain they don’t have enough time to do anything that makes life worth living. This is the very definition of a rate race.

Most of our needs don’t require much money, and thus do not require much work. Thoreau already figured out in 1845 that he only needed to work 6 weeks per year to eat, sleep under a roof, and buy himself some clothes when they would wear out. All of his new-found free time was spent traveling, growing a garden, meeting with friends, and studying.

I don’t think we should work because we want to “give back to society”. There is no debt to pay. We need society just as much as it needs us.

Instead, we should work out of duty for our species, for the betterment of humanity. For others, for something bigger than just ourselves. We need to protect what’s worth fighting for. We need volunteers. We need better tools and processes to solve the challenges of our time. We need art to think. We need better food and services to maintain our health. 

I’m not saying money is a bad thing. It is very much needed to materialize the changes we long for. But chasing money for the sake of it, without investing it in what we believe is good, is a fool’s errand. Work without purpose is but the ruin of the soul.