The Myth of Money, Work, and Employment

Having a job used to mean something, but this concept makes no sense in the 21st century.

It used to be that a job was something that you did that helped society to function - it was your function. Like the inner workings of a clock, everyone had their role to play, and every role directly helped everyone else prosper and do their own jobs. You might have been a teacher, a butcher, a black smith, or a healer. Every profession necessary and useful. That useful work was rewarded with currency with which to buy whatever you wanted.

Now, this function has been replaced with the notion that a job is just something you do to get money. You’re no longer working for society, you’re only working for yourself. If society is getting along just fine without your work, and therefore your work isn’t needed, then that’s too bad. You'd better find something to do, and quick,  because we aren’t gonna give people money even though they aren’t working. An excuse as preposterous as "society doesn't need any more workers" won't fly around here, buddy!

Get a job

You need a job in order to participate in society, right? Wrong. You need money to participate in a society. A job is just an convenient way to get that money. No-one actually needs your labour. We are doing just fine without it, thanks. The most popular reason to go to work every day, from people around the world, is to get paid. Other reasons include, but aren't limited to; passion (they love what they do), and to occupy their time. Very few people go into work with the thought that no-one else could do their job, because it's highly likely that someone else could be brought in to fill that role in a relativity short space of time.

Lots of jobs even exist for no other reason than to make the business owner money. That person's role doesn't benefit society in any way, it simply exists because someone else realized that they can't find a way to benefit society through work, so they started a company that makes, like, silly jackets and hats for dogs, and just made money that way. The business grew and that person needed help, so they brought more people on, and now multiple people spend years of their lives doing something that benefits no-one in any real way, yet they can participate in society anyway because of the money it brings them.

Related: The Myth of Capitalism and Poverty

Others don't even have jobs. Property investors, stock market traders, and retired artists/inventors, are all examples of people who make lots of money from what they own, or work they did in the past. A property investor makes money simply by virtue of the fact that they own multiple residences, leasing them to people who have none of their own. A retired artist or inventor receives money thanks to work they did in the past, which can either be weeks or decades ago. Stock market traders make money by buying assets at one price and selling at a higher price - a lot of money can be made just by buying at a low price and then waiting for the price to rise, delivering no value in the meantime. 

You might have heard the argument that capitalism rewards those who bring value to the marketplace, but, at best, none of these "professions" provide actual value, but instead they pretend to add value for the purpose of making money. The property investor in particular hoards assets in order to make money from them, thereby increasing prices for people who want to buy houses to actually live in them. Owners of large businesses with dozens or hundreds of employees are not the worst offenders, but they too take their share of the blame. An owner of a business such as this does no work, as they have employees to handle every facet of the business, and yet they are under our current system, entitled to the profits of that business. The business owner pays others a pittance to do what brings them a fortune in profits. A true parasite, doing no work but getting most of the rewards. Nothing about this behavior seems like an "important function" to me. 

Some might say that the business owner deserves their wealth because they take all the risk in owning and running the business, and they are the one who started the business from the ground up. This argument has little merit. Simply owning something should not be a source of wealth, and paying other people to run a business for you, while doing nothing for yourself, should not be rewarded. As for the "risk" - a business of that size would be a company, which is a separate limited liability entity that owns all of the assets of the business. The business owner simply receives dividends from owning the business. He/she is exposed to no more risk than an employee of the business - being a separate entity, the owner's assets can not be seized should something go wrong with the business.

The changing nature of money

Most people would consider money and the earning thereof to be the result of providing value to society; changing people's lives for the better. The butcher, doctor, and police officer, are paid a wage in exchange for the value that they provide other people, which they then use to participate in society by buying products and services, attaining housing, and anything else they need to live their lives. A "job" used to be more than just a way to earn money. It used to be a function - your function - within a society. Something that you did in order to keep the community alive. Every profession was necessary and useful, and what you did was a part of who you are. You didn't just work for yourself, you worked for the good of your community and your countrymen. In return for serving your community, you'd get money, which could be used to pay for food and shelter and hobbies and generally live your life.

That was then, but these days, money is no longer the end result of serving your community and making other people's lives better. It has become an objective in itself. Money used to show that you're a productive member of society; either work, or you have no money. In our modern times, millions of individuals get money by doing little for anyone. Their "job" isn't even a function, it's just a hack. Some people think that money encourages people to work and be productive, but when money is the only goal, there are many ways of getting it. Property investors, stock market traders, and retired artists/inventors, are all examples of this, as described in the third paragraph under the 'get a job' headline.

In the end

What good is it to give money to people for doing their jobs and being productive members of society, when so many others get money simply by virtue of the fact that they own certain assets? This system encourages people to do whatever it takes to go out and make money in any way possible. If the system can be gamed and money can be made without doing much of anything for anyone but yourself, what's the point of actually trying to contribute to society?