Why work?

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http://www.whywork.org/index.php

Check it out. This website is dedicated to exploring the question why people should ever work.

http://www.examiner.com/x-11194-Clevela ... hout-a-job

Lots of resources here for anyone who is unemployed.

mm interesting website.

I can't say I agree 100% of what that site promotes, but they have a point about people being "wage slaves."

They work a job they hate for the illusion of happiness and prosperity promised to them.

The happier people I know in life don't always have money, but their daily lives are more fulfilling because they weave what matters more into their routine rather than let the "income production" angle of life dictate their lives.

People should work to make themselves money to earn a healthy living but more importantly to help the economy grow, so everybody gets a better standard of living.

The pursuit of happiness and the accumulation of wealth or living the consumerist lifestyle through work are often at odds with one another. However, unless you are born into money, it is probably less of a choice than certain proponents of the ‘simple life’ would have the world believe. People who work minimum wage jobs have no option but to put in the hours if they want to make rent and buy food. If escape from that kind of vicious poverty trap is desired, a career where one builds knowhow and skills through painstaking effort is required. And not everyone who is committed to getting better at what they do view their corporate jobs as dreadful chores which hollow out their souls. Minus the horrible office politics, I actually enjoyed working for the work itself. Although I am not getting paid, I work just as hard, if not more so, than I would if I collected a paycheck.

That said the more pertinent discussion for our purposes is the exploration of how one can create a self respecting identity without the support of a corporate mask. Most of us are involuntarily unemployed or under-employed and on this issue, more than any other, it is important for people with Aspergers to break free from the conventional notion that a job is a must if people are going to be happy. The value of this discussion to us lies in its affirmation that people can be happy even if they do not have a career.

It is just a thought, something to mull over.

Zeno, thank you for sharing. And I totally agree with your views.

True, but....

Many don't realize that what the Founding Fathers of the USA intended when they wrote "the pursuit of happiness" could be translated into "the ownership of property."

Under European rule, a man had nothing unless he owned land. Owning land conveyed rights that a common man never had. This is part of why voting rights were never originally intended for anyone who did not own property.

The "rights" of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" were issues they felt Europe denied most anyone who sought to come to the new world.

The right to be alive without the threat of violence from a "king." The right to be free to live as one chooses and practice the faith of one's choice without fear of persecution. The right to own property rather than be a serf who lived and worked for a land baron.

For some, the accumulation of material goods and wealth is what makes them happy. If so, more power to them.

The lie is believing that "things" will automatically be what brings happiness into YOUR life.

Actually I always felt right from the start that the world of working for wages/salary rather got in the way of a self-respecting identity. For one thing, in a workplace it's not usually easy to avoid difficult people. I've nothing against work as such, in fact I think it's good for people in moderation, but so much depends on the terms and conditions, and employers can be very awkward in that respect. As a result, I've always felt trapped in my job rather than empowered by it. I don't deny there are many things I'd never have been able to do if not for the workplace, but equally the requirement to do what the boss wants has prevented me from doing a lot of things that I wanted to do.

Possibly some of that attitude comes from the fact that I hail from the British working class, who traditionally see waged employment as a necessary evil rather than a thing to be valued for reasons other than the pay cheque. I have a lot of trouble understanding people who don't know what to do with themselves when they retire, or who feel useless when they're unemployed. Are they really incapable doing anything without being told to? Heck, I've got tons of things I want to do which have nothing to do with the workplace, and I'm sick of being pushed to the side of my own life by the requirement to turn up for work.

My plan is to retire at 60, and live on savings until the pension kicks in. I'm only sorry it wasn't possible to get out earlier. Really, the only thing that worries me about leaving is the money side of it. I tried to escape 20 years ago but couldn't find a way of making ends meet financially in those days. I thought maybe worker co-operatives were the answer (theoretically more control over the working environment), but the ones I tried weren't. The general experience was better by far, but financially they just weren't viable.

One sobering statistic I saw was that, on average, the human body remains reasonably healthy only until the age of 70. That means that normal retirement at 65 gives a person an expectation of just 5 years of healthy freedom. And they're putting up the normal retirement age to 70, which means that, unless healthcare makes significant progress soon, we'll all be literally working for somebody else until there's nothing left to enjoy. Of course it's only an average statistic......so it ought to be possible to cheat it by eating wisely and taking good exercise, etc.

Actually, working or not depends on what you want out of life.

First off, there are the needs. The real needs are food, clothing, heat/lights/water, shelter, and transportation. If you can satisfy those needs and are happy, then you can do what you want.

However, if you have wants, then you need more. What is happening with wage slaves is that they misplace their wants for needs, get into debt, and then cannot afford to not work because of the debt payments. If you have no debt payments and enough money to indefinately cover the needs states above and be happy, then you are not a wage slave because you can quit anytime you want. This is why major companies check credit reports now, not to see if you are responsible with money but to see if you will be a slave or a problem.

Now if you enjoy working but do not want to deal with a company, you could always start your own business. There are pitfalls here too such as having to do marketing and accounting as well as being responsible for the benefits package that you want and the taxes you are required to pay (this is the reason employees do not make what they are worth, the cost to the company would be too great).

If you do not want to work, that is fine too. Just don't expect those of us that do work to support you. I am willing to support those who cannot work due to a bona-fide disability or injury but not those who simply do not want to work.

As for work itself, it is good for the human spirit. Most humans (even auties/aspies) want to contribute something to society in general and work is how you do it. That is why I get up and go to work. If you are not happy with what you are doing, then look into changing something. If you keep doing the same thing, you will get the same result.

Thank You

I think working for wages tends to push the individual away from contributing to society - the employers take too many liberties and the workforce ends up back-covering. You can join one of these places but the chances are they won't let you help society in your own way. As you say, they might refuse you a job if they think you're not in debt, because they want you over a barrel. It's always a buyer's market, especially in a recession, so searching for the "dream job" tends not to work.

Voluntary work is much better. You can get a lot more control because they can't use the fact that it's your livelihood as a lever to get you working on stuff that's of insufficient social worth, they can't dictate your working hours or a load of other things that are commonly controlled by employers. The voluntary sector has to remember that you're doing them a favour so they have to be more careful not to piss you off. I'm not saying that waged labour never does any social good, just that it's somewhat limited and precarious, because ultimately the owner is out for himself, and the workplace is his property.

I don't work due to depression but feel all should do something for their community if they are able bodied. Our jobs tell us about who we are to others, they define our status and make us worthy or not mates to the opposite sex.

Women don't like unemployed or even low-occupational males, far more destructive for men as I'm sure men would date an unemployed women if she was attractive.

I'm fine with work.

However the interpersonal drama, the ego conflicts, the interruptions, the incompetent co-workers who belong working at a fast food joint and not in an office, the constant attempts by the less competent to impose their will on me, etc etc... that stuff drives me insane.

A corporation is supposed to be for profit, and all of us here are supposed to put in our best work in order to make the company a success.

Instead, the office is one giant social club.

Kill me now.

I hope there are exceptions to that - they can't all be such mercenary s**ts can they? Especially in these liberated times when women go out to work themselves? As long as the guy wasn't totally helpless?