It is often considered a naive ideal scenario that humans want to be diligent and participate to the world without any financial pressure forcing them to do so. There is a concern that many could lean back and let others care for them, leaving the burden of provision carried by fewer and fewer shoulders. There is a concern that without the limiting factor of money, more than necessary could be taken by some, and what is left could be insufficient in other places.
Nature does not demand payment. The sun shines, and does not send a bill. No living creatures except humans have money. Plants and animals get what they need. With humans however, sometimes we can actually observe that they take all they can get. Usually this behavior is split up on two parties. One who beliefs that as much as possible must be taken to get the profit right. And another who beliefs that the most profitable investment must be chosen, not aware of what is taken to make this happen, not confronted with it and not interested in it either. This way we created a system that enables and massively supports antisocial behavior. This is not just relevant for investment bankers, but for anyone who simply buys the cheapest option. The product does not show how it was made for the price. We feel blind. And we adopt the habit and take more than we need, or give less than we could. We might need it later. We are always worried that a shortage could hit us. That our piece of the cake could be too small. Is that innate or trained behavior? What cause, what need, what experience and belief is hiding behind this behavior?
Our society cultivates the fear of shortage. And a misconception has established itself in our image of humanity. This can be confirmed with close observation, when we care to look. A superficial judgment could be that those with enough money to pay their bills do continue to work only to consume even more, to be safer in case of higher inflation, or to buy more power and influence. Inactive people on the other hand appear to not do anything simply because it is not necessary for their survival and comfort. They are provided for and they show no initiative to give anything back. It seems logical that they do not do anything because they don’t need to. However, the lack of motivation has usually other reasons far more important than a lack of obligation. Who spends his life dazed on a sofa, in front of a screen, or under the bridge, usually has a story to tell about how he got there. If you are first excluded and then find yourself confronted with the attempt of forcing you into some kind of job with financial pressure, would you be able to do it or try to find provision with illegal methods? And still, there is the misconception that humans must be forced to work.
Any adult who does not participate in any way to the society or the economy and neither shows any motivation to do so is not a victim of lacking financial pressure, but has made experiences in life that resulted in this situation. So far I never met a small child only interested in sitting somewhere lethargically. If we become like that later in life, then we did not have the chance to develop appropriately. We got discouraged by our experiences. Were not included in social life. If we learned as a child that our participation is not welcome, because the adults can do everything faster and better, then it will also be more difficult for us to participate later in life.
The kind of work that adults did during the early days of industrialization, in mines, factories or other places, with physically though conditions causing health issues, is poorly suited for any human, especially children. Even adults should avoid that kind of labour, which reminds of the conditions that former slaves lived in, and it luckily becomes less common when an industrial nation develops. It is good and right to prohibit this labour for children. But children must be included in the every day live of a family, including some work that comes with it. This enables them to grow into productive members of society.
So why do we want to see money for our work? Paying bills and all the things we still want to buy are one reason. But that is only half of it. Even if we have all bills covered and can buy all we need, we can still be unhappy with the amount of money we get for our work. There is a reason for that, and we can look at it from two perspectives. Firstly, we feel a need for justice and want to be paid equally. Some demand equal money for the same work, others equal money for the same qualification. There are other options as well. And secondly, we need appreciation. This is related to our need for justice, because we only feel recognized if we get a salary which we consider just. If we get paid below average, then we do not feel appreciated. We demand money, but what we really want is justice and recognition for our work. In an economic environment we are usually not satisfied with gratitude only, we demand money to substantiate it. Money is not just needed to cover our expenses, but we also turned it into the manifestation of appreciation. That is especially the case in economic and professional life.
This will change fundamentally when nobody gets paid for their working hours. When we are not paid for our time, and do not sell our brain or muscle, but offer the result of our work for sale, of even for free, depending on what is needed. On first glance that seems crazy, an absurd idea, possibly a concept for bogus self-employment. The economy we have today has grown for many decades using time-based salary. This is in principle an evolution of serfdom. Many structures in todays economy more or less depend on this. It is so omnipresent and normal that we tend to believe there is no other way to organize an economy. But there are other ways. Already now, many employees consider themselves to be paid for the result of their work rather than their work time, even thought this is formally not the case. It is time that we truly organize work life this way and leave slavery behind for good.