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Antiwork

Curious about the mentality

Getting paid for work is a reflection of your success in creating value for other people. The person who has picked your strawberries, built your car , or electrified your house did so not because they were kind to you, but because they wanted to get something in return for their labors. They did something of value to you and you gave them something of value in return. Everything, absolutely everything that you value in your lives, was created for you by other people. I get the fact that you wish you earned more money. What that really means is that you wish you had skills that other people valued more. If money is a goal, learning accounting is better than sociology, or engineering instead of poly sci. Perhaps you should spend 10,000 hours reading and writing and writing 60 books until you succeed in writing one that someone wants…


Getting paid for work is a reflection of your success in creating value for other people. The person who has picked your strawberries, built your car , or electrified your house did so not because they were kind to you, but because they wanted to get something in return for their labors. They did something of value to you and you gave them something of value in return. Everything, absolutely everything that you value in your lives, was created for you by other people.

I get the fact that you wish you earned more money. What that really means is that you wish you had skills that other people valued more. If money is a goal, learning accounting is better than sociology, or engineering instead of poly sci. Perhaps you should spend 10,000 hours reading and writing and writing 60 books until you succeed in writing one that someone wants to read.

It isn't society's fault that it values an orthopedic surgeon more than a barista. You value a surgeon vastly more also when you need one. The fact that she devoted 25 years of hard study and sleepless nights to gain that skill was to be able to serve you. But also to benefit herself.

More people need the barista than the surgeon to be sure, but there are infinitely more people who can do the job. Doing something really valuable is very, very hard. But if being a surgeon is beyond you, being a plumber is not. They earn tons of money also.

When I hear people say “I don't want to work” I hear “I want to be a parasite.” How can anyone feel good about themselves desiring to be served without serving in return, taking but not giving?

This is not a rant. I'd like to read serious responses that answer my questions or refute my premises.

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