BLOG
Thoughts about work 3
I’ve never considered my work as a duty, much less a chore. My vision of this world is undoubtedly distorted by this postulate, and I humbly share it: I believe that no one should be forced to work for a living. Desire seems to me to be a much better driving force than the threat of poverty and exclusion.
Laziness is a common trait. The economy is just an extension of it. In both cases, the aim is to have “more” with “less”. Optimization logically starts with what costs the most. The corollary is that low cost is no incentive to find ways to reduce it.
As far as work is concerned, in a market rationale, for a low-skilled job, anyone technically fits the bill, the labour supply is over-abundant, and competition drives wages down. As a result, we end up with a bunch of unrewarding and low-paid jobs. For those who do not have a choice, it is a double pain. For those on the other hand who are fortunate enough (some will call it merit, that’s another discussion) to do exciting jobs that are often well paid, it’s the jackpot.
Wouldn’t it be fairer to consider the pleasure one finds in a job as a component of one’s pay, just like the salary one earns? On that account, as far as I am concerned, I would have gladly worked for free (being housed and fed would have been enough for me). On the other hand, tedious work ought to be compensated very dearly, which would therefore be an incentive to find means to spare it. These jobs must be eliminated for the sake of humanity.