I don’t understand able bodied people who do not want to work. Not long ago, I was approached by two men in a parking lot who “needed some gas money“. They both looked healthy enough to work but instead were begging for change from people buying groceries for their families. ”Why can’t they work?”, I thought to myself as I walked to the car.
How many times have you seen people standing at the bottom of a freeway ramp begging for money? They can stand up all day and hold a sign, but are unable to work. What’s wrong with this picture?
I wake up every morning and go to the same job, at the same place, dealing with the same issues. It gets old and there are days when I’d rather just stay home. Doesn’t everyone feel this way at times? The reality is that work is part of being an adult and living in society–we all need to be productive. Why is it that some people think that they should be able to live a comfortable life without working?
As adults, we all get to make choices and live with the consequences. Some people decide not to work and then try to escape the consequences by looking to others for support! They do this by asking for money at the supermarket, applying for government welfare programs, or just living off of other relatives.
When people don’t work, they are not contributing to society. This puts a burden on responsible working adults who end up paying for them in the long run. These people are living off the labor of others. I recently discovered a blog where someone was asking for ”milk and diaper money“. They even had a link to Pay-Pal on their site. Well meaning people are giving them money–too bad.
I can think of other troubling situations like husbands who make their wives support them or wives who stay home and play when their husbands are slaving away (although this doesn’t affect me unless they are applying for welfare). I also am troubled by people who depend on frivolous law suits, bogus insurance claims, or other scams for their income. These people put a lot of energy into figuring out how to not work. Wouldn’t it just be better if they put that same energy into finding a job and keeping it?
Don’t get me wrong, I believe in being charitable–in fact, we all have a responsibility to help others in need. It feels good to help a family that is really struggling, or someone with health issues, or the elderly, etc. Sometimes people just end up in difficult circumstances and need help–I completely understand this.
With all of that said, I believe that we are actually doing harm by helping those who choose not to work. We are enabling them, the same way we are enabling an alcoholic or a drug user. I’m not talking about homeless people, those who are disabled, the elderly, or special needs people. I’m talking about normal people who are lazy and just don’t want to work. These are able bodied people who want others to pay their way and are very good at figuring out ways to work the system. If these people don’t want to work, they should have to live with the consequences. Hunger can be a great motivator! What do you think?
Filed under: Work | Tagged: aversion to work, begging, bum, charity, donations, employment, enabling, entitlement, goverment, handout, homeless, jobs, lazy, lazy bones, minimum wage, scam, society, underachievers, underemployed, unemployable, unemployed, welfare, Work, work ethic, working
….. We all need to be productive……..
Apparently you are unaware of the concept of “capital gains”. You should read more Adam Smith, Mr. Capitalist.
… They also do this by using free emergency room medical services instead of having a job that provides medical insurance…..
Maybe it shouldn’t cost 2,000 dollars and a five hour wait to recieve eight stiches. But being a Capitalist, I’m quite sure your unwilling to question the workings of a Government-Regulated Cartel… I mean the Free Market. Yes, that’s what it is. Any ex-Iraq combat medic can open up his own business and earn +100,000 dollars a year providing a valuable service to his community. For the 1 day before the police break down his door. Ah… the Free Market At Work.
…..Or how about people who depend on frivolous law suits or bogus workers comp claims for their income?….
Like those fishermen who sued Exon because the Valdez killed all the fish that they harvested. Thus rendering their boats, training, and licenses completely valueless. Can you imagine the shear, utter evil required to steal money from helpless billionaires just because they completely destroyed your livelyhood? Thank the United States Government that these two-bit thieves were stopped for more than a decade from collecting on their non-existent damages. Thieves. Cheats. And as for you. Justice will accept only a pound of flesh, no more, no less, no cartilage, no bone, only flesh.
What an odd blog posting. It seems to assume a lot about the people holding signs or asking for change in a supermarket in order to buy gas. It assumes a lot about their preferences, their backgrounds, and their willingness to humiliate and debase themselves for a couple of bucks in order to avoid work.
You might find it interesting to talk to some of the people you’re writing about. Find out their stories. I don’t mean preach to them–I mean just listen. They may have something interesting to say.
I find the two replies far more odd than the blog posting. Jones makes valid assumptions about freeloaders – and as he illustrated, you can find them in all walks of life – without saying anything about those truly in need. I guess you two need that proviso in there to make you feel all warm and fuzzy.
Just thirty minutes ago, our company president told me how he waited five hours in the emergency room to tend to a broken finger. He waited there due to all the people (without medical insurance) sponging off the system to get assorted coughs or flus looked at. WTF? What a joke!
Alcoholics can be very persuasive, interesting people to listen to. #2 here sounds like a routine donor/enabler. On the other hand, the blog is perhaps more tongue-in-cheek, in that Jones points out how easily these folks show up to the same corner each day, yet won’t get a real job. Ah, crap, they’ll lose their welfare, that’s why. I forgot.
I really doubt there are a lot of people who simply “don’t want to work and are lazy.” More likely, those people are frozen out of the economy for some reason.
Maybe those people with the signs are ex-cons, and can’t get hired, drug addicts, retarded, have mental health problems – how do you know? Maybe they’re just unemployed and have kids to feed. Maybe at night they go home and apply for jobs.
I think you are the sort of person who has never suffered an adverse circumstance. You should be talking about how grateful you are for your lucky life instead of ranting about things that – in reality – are of little consequence.
Here’s a checklist:
Parents married?
Did you go to college?
Did you have to pay for college?
Do you suffer from some kind of mental problem?
It’s called gratitude you entitled doofus. G R A T I T U D E.
To the last person who commented:
Looks like I may have struck a nerve … are you working? hmmm.
This is the problem with society. We judge and feel we are above. It starts off in elementary school with whose got what brand named shoes; moves to high school with what car your dad got ya; then going to a good university were people feel the need to look down on others who don’t attend there. All the little while, we forget those who were isolated and ridiculed and we just wish them luck. We don’t know if they’re depressed, we’re raised poorly or most importantly have conditioned themselves that they can’t interact with the rest of society. So before you go calling yourself the ultimate working man, did you play a part in isolating people?
I have been an unemployed / underemployed person most of my life and assure you that It is not because I am a lazy or shiftless individual. In fact, I have been highly successful with the things that are / were important to me; and regular full time employment isn’t.
Self expression is…. And yet, I do not live off the system. I support myself, however modestly by american standards while pursuing life’s deeper meanings.
Does this make me a bum?
I really enjoyed your response. Frankly, I’m wondering if my problem is just laziness or total disinterest in convention.
I’ve been working since I was fourteen. I’m twentysomething. Still working, and I agree with Jones that any ablebodied individual SHOULD work.. at the very least, he/she SHOULD support him/herself if possible.
Of course, we can’t ignore the factors that either help or hurt individuals and groups of people as we all try to “make it” in society. Some factors are supremacist attitudes, economic systems, etc..
My issues with work have more to do with the drudgery I PERSONALLY feel slaving some odd hours each day at tasks I don’t want to do to earn enough to acquire more than I really need to live comfortably. Thats really my battle. Not working, necessarily. But discovering my “passion” and enjoying it in such a way that I can support myself doing it.
You seem to be saying that you’re doing the same thing. Determining for yourself what will constitute comfortable living and living accordingly. Good for you..
I am a fit and healthy engineer, who earns a relatively high wage in comparison to many.
I dont want to work.
I hate work.
Not the people, not the job, just because I have to do it.
I dont like that people are forced to get out their beds in the morning to keep capitalism ticking over. The system has done nothing but bring misery to the poor and wealth to the upper classes.
It is a system based on greed, money and inequality.
Why would I be happy working fo such a scare-mongering dictatorship.
I agree that there are many healthy people out there who dont work. So what! Capitalism doesnt care. The tax payers will continue to pay for alot more than just benefits for the poor and Ronaldo will still get £80m.
There is no justice in a Capitalist system, there is not meant to be, it was not created for that reason.
It uses its people for profit.
Capitalism thrives on the poor, it needs them to survive. If everyone was rich and had more time on their hands, we could create a better system for ourselves, having more time to be proactive
and having less negativity towards change.
To finish.. People are so wrapped up in their own problems; mortgages, bills, material possessions etc, that they do not have time to see the bigger issue.
Just what Capitalism intended.
WOW and I thought I was a liberal.
A lot of these commenter’s are way over the top.
Geosource – “In fact, I have been highly successful with the things that are / were important to me; and regular full time employment isn’t.” – apparently you haven’t been underemployed, sounds like you are lazy. It is called work you do have to put some thought and effort into it. If you don’t show effort how do you expect to be employed at the level you think you should.
Some people don’t want to work because the don’t feel that it’s worth the effort. They might not see life the same way you do. Think about it this way – work for many people is just getting up in the morning to go to a job to earn enough money to pay your bills so that you’ve got a place to sleep so that you can get up in the morning and go to work so you can earn enough money to pay your bills… It’s a never ending cycle and not everyone believes it’s rewarding enough to participate in. Why work just so you can pay your bills and work some more? What the hell is the point? Is that what life really is? If so, why not just shoot yourself? Many people find ways to insert meaning into the mix (family, friends, vacations, hobbies,etc.) but not everyone can bring enough happiness into their life to justify the monotonous grind that working life is for so many. When people say they don’t want to work, they are basically telling you that they don’t think ‘ordinary’ life is worth the bother and effort. Such people would rather just drop out and live off of handouts than put forth the effort to sustain a lifestyle they don’t enjoy or find value in. If you’re going to be unhappy, why bother working hard at it? That’s the basic logic. I’m not sure if you can understand it, though.
Just because people are physically well doesn’t mean they are mentally well. For some people, adjustment to the system feels like a form of death. For me, unless my work is meaningful, I feel my life-blood is being stolen from me, I feel 9 to 5 work is a profound intrusion into my psyche and when I have had to do it I become cllinically depressed, I even begin to drink too much because when I drink I can blank off how much I hate it. Fortunately I am well-educated and have managed to find ways to work outside of this framework – part-time in flexible companies, freelance etc. But I am advantaged in having this education and skills. Who knows, if I didn’t I could be one of the people you speak of. You should thank your lucky stars your mental make-up is such that you can assimilate into the system without getting clinical depression. But are you really so happy in your 9 to 5? Perhaps if you were you would have more meaningful things to do with your time then write this blog.
Personally I would much rather die than work.
“Personally I would much rather die than work.”
Good for you Rory- just don’t ask for any handouts from me.
Kudos Jones on starting this thread- and to all of you bohemians who want to play all day- seriously… more power to you, but don’t ask me for money. I get my butt out of bed every morning to earn my living… If you want something from me then give me something in return- paint a picture, whatever… just don’t give me a dirty look if I turn down your request for my hard-earned cash!
Joker I liked yours the best. I go back and forth on this whole debate. I think everyone has something to give and a barter basis is best. I joined a barter network and you can live almost for free, when you find things to barter. If you need a mechanic, trade a painting, you get barter dollars. 100s of business are in it. Trade a massage for renting a tux, have an old couch barter it, find one in the street, barter it. you will need less to live on and best of all, lets say you barter for a 100 dollar gift certificate for a restaurant sell it on ebay, now you have cash to pay rent, etc. Think outside the box, my story bought a house in NY and doubled the value in three years sold and moved to TN, sold it, bought a house for cash in TN, get 925.00 rent live off of that, cut coupons from free papers that our thrown in driveways, we have something like a pennysaver and neighbors give them free to me, buy groceries close to free using coupons, resell the groceries to over 50 houses. My prices are cheaper than stores, make .50 to 1.00 or so per item. I work three hours can make 120 in three hours maybe 70.00 after cost, sit on my but all week. I only work friday, saturday, sunday. I enjoy my kids all week and live in the cheapest part of the country. want to learn more email ginnyvaet11@yahoo.com There is always a way to live cheap, and work less.
..now THATS motivating. A truly lazy person would read all that and say “nah.. too much work.” Bartering is fair.. and biblical, I think (if that matters to anyone lol). Everybody walks away with something… great post.
I would LOVE to have a job and not be begging but 3 of my past 7 jobs were sent overseas, 3 were lost due to a reduction in force, and one company was eliminated when it was bought out in a sale that would have been illegal in the 90’s. I’ve applies everywhere that is hiring for anything–even the local grocery store– but I’m over qualified because of my MBAs. They also make it really hard to get into a shelter because I am employable. I was a firm believer in free market capitalism before all of this, now I see that regulation is a necessary evil. I pray everyday that intrest rates will go up, the rich will be taxed, and the monopolies will be broken up so there will be some hope left for those of us in the bottom 99% of the world. Just for you, I will display my resume the next time I’m sitting outside a store begging for food.
Dear Love To: Look on the bright side, you still have an internet connection and can write well. Good luck and don’t give up!!!!
Cheers,
Mr. Jones
Try to get people to stop buying cheap junk made overseas from the big box retailers then… Do something to keep jobs in this country. And anyway, it’s not your resume I would want to see… It doesn’t matter where you’ve been. Just do something for the money- even the guy who wants to wash my window with a dirty rag has at least taken some initiative. I actually praise public service programs that help people to get back on their feet in hard times, but don’t have much respect for someone who does nothing to improve their situation… Collect bottles from garbage cans. Lobby to help keep jobs here in the US… do something.
I had to laugh… hysterically. I have been trying to hire 4 people for 2 months. Sometimes they tell me “I ‘m not interested” on the same day they send in their resume. Sometimes they accept the job, then don’t bother to show up or call. Then there is the wonderful lady who worked for three days and then texted me to tell me she couldn’t work becuase her family needed her.
For those of you with MBA’s willing to do “anything” to get a job, perhaps you shouln’t list your MBA’s on your application when applying for a cashier job at the local 5 and 10. I know it was hard earned, but really, why would I expect sometime to be satisfied to work for me as an appointment setter when they have multiple MBA degrees?????
For the record, I don’t want to work either. However, I sure like to eat and my family enjoys the occasional movie or night out to eat. Call me old fashioned, but I am a firm believer in “Those who do not work shall not eat.”
A Texas Mom
well think of this some people look and look and dont find jobs what then do you want them to do . how many times people go on long bus and train rides seeking work then go on interviews and hear BS like this * o well we have your number in anything comes up weil give you a call ~! how much of this famouse phrase line is used they say now hire right meanwhile you go there and hear this many are judgemental race discriminate etc now as chut responce says about schooling collage n etc its just stone walls just hire already i dont care if you have 100000 diplomas you still got to learn the trade of the job now a days they want you to have a diploma just to work in a candy store chinese food delivery even in a supermarket doing stock ! what a joke
if it was on how performace is instead of diploma n all these stone walls alot of people would have jobs
if there are no job interviews there would be more jobs
i work for a county agency and i am all to familiar with the saying “do you want me to tell you i will get a job.” I am completely disgusted with the attitude that this society owes you something because you had eight children back to back with no plan or job. I am tried of doctors that excuse people from welfare activities b/c of diabetes or anxiety…I work with plenty of people that get up and make a dime, with far more serious health concerns….urgh
Why should we work? To pour more money into the hands of the two great enemies of the people – big business and the state. We work 8 hours a day obediently; without independent thought; without creativity, and so we become empty, miserable, tired, isolated and paranoid which leads us to buy and the cycle continues…
We work to buy. Most of the money you have you don’t need, however we are constantly reminded through advertising that we do, to buy pointless and unnecessary things. And I’m not just trying to be a killjoy – if we worked less days a week we would be more relaxed and at peace with ourselves; would have more time for enjoyment, creativity and expression; we wouldn’t need to save up and stress over that big 2-week holiday (which normally turns out to be an anti-climax anyway)
Just a thought…
Oh you are so right, time has value. I can live on very little, I make 925.00 on rent, my rent that I split with someone is 925.00, total bill 600.00 a month, leaving me 300 from the rental property to pay for food and gas. O.K> my coupon business brings in another 500.00 a month, and I support my two kids on this. 800.00 we live on a month and I still save. I buy used clothing, use coupons to buy mcdonalds. Last week free lattes till june at mcdonalds, I got 20 papers, so 20 coupons, can sell them on ebay. You could buy them on ebay for 1.00, save yourself alot if you like a latte everyday, now instead of starbucks, free lattes all month at mcdonalds. I know when I lived in NY I made 100k and I bought a large latte everyday, money did not matter. I have very little now, I gave up the rat race of ny city for the slow life in TN.
It is not laziness. In fact, I don’t even hate working per-say, but i hate having a schedule. If I could work when I felt like it, I can guarentee you I would be much more motivated.
I worked 9-5 for the past year before losing my job a couple days ago. I always wanted 9-5 thinking it would be great to be off on the weekends when everyone else was… It was awful. I worked all week for 2 days of freedom? I got 2 weeks of vacation in 12 months? Thats rediculous. WORKING IS NOT LIVING. Why should life be anything less than fun? What is the point in living if you only enjoy a few hours of your life a week? And when you have a bad weekend, what a shame, because you aren’t going to get another one until you put in another 5 days of misery.
I am relieved to have a break from this boring life of working and collect my unemployment for a while. Call me a bum if you will, but I don’t give a flying f. I’m not being lazy, I just really have no desire to work. What a waste of time all for a few bucks? it isn’t worth it. I hope in my time off I find something I can do to earn an income without sacraficing the majority of my life. I pity the people who make careers their life. Surely, one day you will realize what a waste of a life you have.
I am female and I’ve never even understood why women fought to work? That was the stupidest thing they ever could have done. Men are both stronger and smarter and can do way more than a female ever can for any company. I blame obesity, crime rates, divorce rates, unemployment rates, welfare, poor economy all on women working.
Get out of the office- and go pick your kids up from school. If kids had someone home to cook their dinner–they wouldn’t be stuffing their faces with mcdonalds. If the kids had someone at home to raise them properly they wouldn’t be running around in rebellion. Divorce rates would be lower because women would depend on the men and their family and would have to pull things together–not run away from their issues. There would be more jobs because women wouldn’t be taking up positions probably better suited for a man anyways (of course women get them otherwise its discrimination). Its all BS. Life is for the living.
c’mon just say it: ‘i’m lazy. I don’t want to work. I want to live off someone else (preferrably a “husband”). I don’t even want to pick up the kids, or cook food because hey, let’s face it, that’s work, too. I don’t want to be alone in my lazy boat so I’ll just go ahead and lump all women together and hopefully that’ll buy me cool points with the fellas (maybe one of them will try to pick me up).’
Your post is a slap in the face to working people EVERYWHERE, regardless of gender. Clearly, you’ve never actually cared for someone else or for children.. or you’d know that it is far from NOT working. Ugh…
Oh my goodness. I can’t believe I am saying this…but it IS SO TRUE!
Work is for suckers. I’m been unemployed this year and I have had the time of my life.
Thank God after 10 years of teaching English! I have seen the light!
NO WORK FOR ME!!
If you aren’t working for the past year, then how do you maintain a roof over your head, and food on the table, paying bills, and the everyday expenses?
If you are married or living with someone that works, and pays all the bills I can see. Unless it isn’t okay with your partner, and they have been wanting you to get a job, then it can’t be okay.
(I’ve begun a blog at this web address if anyone is interested in checking it out.)
http://www.viralnurse.blogspot.com
If you are living on a winfall…well not working for you is awesome. It’s nice to hear that you are having fun.
Sometimes, I think that people have such a hard time when they retire, since they only knew working 3/4 of their life…and now they have to learn how not to work.
How sad that working is not living for some people. The way that I see things we’re all working — some might be raising children and others might be at the office but both are productive and serve a purpose. The thing that bothers me is when capable, able people “choose” not to work and then expect others to pay their way. If you don’t want to work, fine–don’t work. Just don’t expect me or anyone else to pay your way while you are sitting on the couch watching Oprah.
If this is another rant about the unemployed being lazy, it’s not worth the bandwidth to even read.
Take that anyway you want.
Bill End User has spoken
I’m proud to be “lazy”. Seriously, i rather be happy and despised by society than be “productive” and MISERABLE. I collect unemployment with a BIG SMILE, i go home, read, go bike, and the next month i collect unemployment again. Sure, i don’t have a fancy house, a car, and whatnot..but i don’t care! I have one thing you working people don’t have and that is freedom.AAAAAAAH. BRB gonna sip on some cool ice tea.
o.k. unemployment is great till it runs out. WHen I was 23, I got unemployment and then I took all my money and traveled around the U.S. backpacked thourhcentral america. I still lived with my folks, I am 42 now with two kids, but then I was young, and the one getting unemployment, go travel, find a way to get it signed and go, travel a little. take a backpack. Live on 10.00 a day, enjoy life, join servas stay with people free, rent your apartment for one month and save the unemployment. Servas is an organization where people let you stay free in their house. Usually they are rich and just like to make their lives more interesting by allowing a guest to stay in their guesthouse. I stayed three nights in a home in arizona, in the mountains, in a guesthouse, they had a view of the mountains, a jacuzzi. I felt like I was in hollywood, amazing food, you eat free. They took me sightseeing, I spent nothing. Servas is a peace organization to promote world peace. Minimum two nights and you have to agree to dinner or one meal a day. Anyway there was another servas guest there a professor. I stayed in mexico city, netherlands, sweden all free. Try to bring a little gift when you visit from where you are from. Anyway enjoy your unemployment.
great post ginny.. u sound like you’re living!
Now, how long do you think unemployment checks last?
I have two beloved family members, my brother and sister, who both don’t work. It is very frustrating and sad for me to see such bright people having given up on even trying to find paid employment. I’m sure that they are suffering from anxiety and low self-esteem which exacerbates their situation and makes it almost impossible for them to takes steps to improve their llives. All that being said, it’s still very hard to accept the fact that they think it’s okay to sleep late and do whatever they want, while the rest of us have real responsibility. I feel for all the spouses of people who are on a perennial vacation. How unfair!
I don’t want to work, and I’m not going to
it’s just not gonna happen
I don’t believe in myself or life or progress
enough to care
hoping for happiness doesn’t make sense
when you’re a manic depressive
Lazy and Proud…your ridiculous. I have been on unemployment before, and it was the worst feeling in the world. I felt like the biggest drain on society, even though people around me reminded me daily that I had been working since I was 15, missing 3 days of work in 13 years. It makes me sick that someone could be so worthless that they will collect a check from the govt. with a smile on their face. If no one worked, you would not be able to live like that, loser. Why not get a job, pay taxes…and let folks who need very TEMPORARY help receive the help and quit being a leach. Go pack your bowl and smoke your life away….fool. You are hurting yourself far more than you will ever hurt us however, because if you are ok with the life your leading, you certainly have no pride in yourself, and you will just fade away eventually.
Just because a person may appear physically able to work, that does not necessarily mean s/he is MENTALLY able to work:
1) Some people are in fact mentally ill……….s/he may have ADD (attention deficit disorder), or even Autism.
2) Some people simply CANNOT take orders and or criticism……………..Point/Counterpoint: Some bosses can truly be bullies and very abusive towards their employees…….hence high employee turnover.
3) Some people simply do not perform well under pressure.
Like it or not, the truth is WORK is not for everyone…………Not to mention WORK is a four-letter word.
The way I see it: (Considering how much it costs to live in this shithole of a country called the USA.) Even $10/hour doesn’t really give me a lot of incentive to work hard…………..Maybe $20/hr or even performance bonuses (like piecework pay on top of my base hourly wage) would. MEMO TO EMPLOYERS: STOP TREATING YOUR WORKERS LIKE SLAVES!!! (pay your workers better)………………..and maybe you’ll find that Americans (like myself) would do the jobs you thought they wouldn’t.
you made me think of something else, we had the tornado in murfreesboro a few weeks ago. there are three houses on my block getting new roofs and everyone working on the roofs are from mexico. When you blast america, I still think this country is great. I have been backpacking in mexico, I understand why mexicans want to come here. In southern mexico, the toilet was an open pit covered in feces that you had to squat open, people lived in outside tents they were covered in dirt, dirt in their hair, clothes, some children wore almost no clothes, no shoes. They stood on the side of the road selling snake skins trying to make a penny. There is no welfare. They do that to survive. I imagine hammering on a roof, is a paradise job when you compare selling a snake skin by the side of the road. It is just a different perspective. Anyone mexican can vouch for this?
@JT: you are wasting your life away working, i’m just fine. You, like most think a job equals life.I have enough activities to keep me busy and ENJOY LIFE. Smoke my life away? Bwahaha, you wake up at 7 and work till 5 and you go back to sleep, repeating the process the next day, while i’m in a park reading a nice book or just wandering. Now who is the “loser”?
You are the typical sheep that thinks pride is selling your soul so you can buy things. It seems work is life for you, and honestly that makes me sad. But like i said, i know i’m despised by the sheep, but i just don’t care..you should try it;), you wouldn’t be so miserable.
Your blog is very interesting. I too have a disdain for those who choose not to work or take responisbility for their own actions. I have been out of work for over 2 years now; Do I want to be out of work though? absolutely not! The issue I have (I wont go into too much detail) is I have issues interacting with people -including friends and family (from roughly a decade of abuse I suffered) therefore I CAN’T work with the public. I do however refuse all but the basic in benefits as being on said benefits is a source of constant shame to me. I do try to find work – specifically in the non service industry computer sector and in trades and labour, but the job market in Britian is oversaturated in the service sector and the above jobs you can’t get into for love nor money. I never have and never will beg on the streets. What I do’t have I don’t need.
Interesting subject, and will obviously receive a number of different responses. From my own point of view, I have worked pretty solidly for the last 30 odd years, in one job or another with varying lengths of time spent in any one position. I have found work to be intrusive, sometimes pointless, a lot of workplaces are dysfunctional, and contain too many artificial constructs, either relating to business, or in relation to how people interact with each other. The whole process of work seems to be designed to keep us occupied, with one thing or another, so that we can pay our way, which mostly relates to things that we don’t actually need. Houses are unaffordable, and can in some cases, take a whole lifetime to pay off. Compared to some of the simpler societies in this world, and that is not a derogratory term in any way, so called first world countries have a very complex lifestyle, and one that requires us to constantly have to come up with ways of making money just to survive. The whole family, mortgage setup is a big trap, and one that will swallow an entire lifetime of earnings if you fall for it.
Obviously, there are some jobs which are interesting, and can hold your attention for a while, but unless you are truly following your passion, working full time can be a horrible test of endurance.
I think there are ways of contributing to society, that do not involve working. If it was constructed differently, we really should be entitled to a lot more free time, time that could be spent building up our relationships with others and producing constructive societies that actually engage with each other. As it stands, we mostly go home to our ‘houses’ and avoid each other like the plague. We are dysfunctional, and surely headed for some type of societal breakdown.
Also, I have been on benefits for short periods of time, and those times were necessary for me to recover myself to a degree where I could go back and participate in the workforce. I have absolutely no issue with people that do so, or people that beg for money or other services. It is not my job to judge anybody else, and there is no way you can know their personal circumstances, or what has put them in that position.
My opinion is that working is a trap, designed to keep us occupied for most of our lives. This in itself is a problem, as we need to be fulfilled in many different ways to feel human.
Also, they can get rid of these damned fluoro lit offices.
I agree with your response, working as we know it is a killer of creativity. We work on the same boring jobs everyday without really being able to develop our creativity. We have been set up to believe in the American Dream, and there is no American Dream. It is just a dream of Buy all that you can Buy.
Sometimes I look at my children and feel sorry for them because I know that they think that when they get a job their life will be open to so many opportunities, but the truth is they will be so miserable because they will have to endure going to same place, doing the same thing every single day of their lives until they are physically not able to do it anymore. What is pleasurable about working everyday. I have been working straight for the last 30 years of my life, I do not enjoy it, I do it because people depend on me. I have wanted to take some time off to regroup and go back to school and do something enjoyable with my life, but there is no way because my 2 daughters and my husband depend on my income(I make more money than my husband) . I’m not saying that I don’t want to pull my weight in society, I’m just saying I would like the opportunity to do something different with my life, but I am trapped.
I would like to know why people LOOK DOWN ON ME when they see me in my WORK uniform which consist of a shirt and pants with my companies logo on it.
If I go somewhere after work to pick up a few items, etc. and I wear my uniform people actually LOOK DOWN on me.
I have to CHANGE out of my work clothing to be treated like a HUMAN.
Think about that for a moment… They SEE that I’m working somewhere yet I am treated like the scum of the earth for wearing my WORK clothing around….
People in America want PRIDE… Well there is no PRIDE from low wage work…. You get HUMILIATION from low wage jobs.
I had a job as a bakery clerk once, and I remember customers would come in and laugh at me for working so hard, often by myself (I am very introverted, and I always took pride in my work), to make sure my responsibilities were taken care of (These same people my efforts were, in part, feeding). After work, I’d go home and hit the job boards, tailor and send out resumes for jobs that were only appealing in that they offered a higher hourly wage than my, at-the-time, current preoccupation. After two years of this, a total of seven jobs, and five years at that company, I realized something.
I realized how much I HATED working! Getting up at the same time every day, taking that same, monotonous drive to work, and dealing with those same, compassionless, uptight, WORKING CLASS people, for those underwhelming, and grossly unfair paychecks. Then going home, hitting the job boards, tailoring and sending out resumes, and basically jumping through hoops, and for what? What the Hell is so great about being hardworking? Because that “job well-done” adage has gotten old.
what I can tell anyone, if you want freedom get into sales. I know it is not for everyone, When I worked in NY I ran a worked in a personnel agency. I made alot of money, talking to people in a professional manner, understanding the requirements of a job description and finding the right person for a job, to I hatect. You should find a good recruiter to find you a better job. Smart people let recruiters work for them, and the candidates that came in and became my friend, I helped their careers alot. I do sales again selling groceries, I work when I want I am friendly laugh with customers. Look into a high end sales job like pharmeceutical sales. Go to functions in town business people go to and bullshit with people you might get a job that night. I once went to a big governors function in NY. I was soliciting so much for my company, someone came over to me and wanted to hirer me for their company. You work your own hours, especially outside sales, you get a quota, but pace yourself.
What is wrong with not wanting to work? Just because you voluntarily enslave yourself does not give you any more rights of life than anyone else, by they obedient workonoids or not. Work is not freedom, it shackles the individual to a sinking ship. The solution? Jump. Get yourself equipped, learn the rudiments of survival, quit your job or just walk out, whatever, relinquish that life and begin afresh. Start living in the real world. Forget the abstraction – data centres, virtualisation, telenurturing , calls to action, thought grenades and synergy. Drown your managers in the trout lake. Shatter the office windows and use the ventilation foil as fishing lures. Use the end of project report as kindling. Be free.
I’ve been in and out of a few low-paid jobs in a few different sectors since i dropped out of high-school. I never lasted more than a few months at any of them. Consequently i have been on and off unemployment and sickness benefits during this time as well. When im in a job working set shifts i begin to unhappy, begin to develop a bad attitude towards work and begin to take it out on others. On several occasions this has understandbly, led to me being rejected by most of my co-workers. The rejection often leads to both anxiety and depression. I no longer wish to show up, quit and end up back on welfare. I can live perfectly well on a small amount of money, but its the constant reminds that im a drain on society that push me back into the cycle of work/depression/anxiety again.
I am an engineer that never liked the 9-5 grind. Our society is centuries old, and fine tuned to suit the wealthy. Working 40 years to pay off a house just didn`t make sense to me. At age 32, I calculated that I would have to work a hundred years to be wealthy. Instead of working the hundred years, I rebelled and quit my job.
It’s not that hard to get by without working a lot. The reason people think they need so much money is because they are used to such high standards of living. I’ve figured out a way to live off of only 20 hours of work at a minimum wage job, and I don’t have to live in a ghetto or eat McDonald’s everyday. The big thing to not do is not have kids, and you really shouldn’t do that anyway, I think we have enough people already.
Because you work and get compensated with a value that fluctuates. Not just that, but generally speaking it’s trial and tribulation to actually land a job that pays you more than just living paycheck to paycheck. 40 hours a week leaves you with no life, only enough time to destroy yourself over the weekend as you try to stretch every second of your precious time off. But it’s never enough, and everyone is depressed on monday. And you have the nerve to ask why. You must love your job – not everyone can be so lucky as to hold out for what they love while bills need to be paid or education must first be learned. There’s no way to live without a bill or tax of some sort unless you’re hunting and sleeping on leaves. But there’s no animals to hunt for miles, so why not hunt humans? You don’t have to kill them, you just have to make them feel sorry for you. Honestly, it’s perfectly understandable.
In the end, fair is fair. Once the hedge funds strip you of your earnings, your corporation takes away your retirement, and your government can’t afford social security, you’ll find the same attitude you displayed waiting for you. Enjoy.
I am a young adult and had been working for 3 years from graduation. I think people saying that working is not living are right, but at the same we should consider also that everybody consumes goods (food, electricity, natural resources, etc) that have to be somehow produces, prepared, delivered. If everybody gave in to their inner freedom wish and live only doing interesting things like traveling, reading, watching TV, biking and stuff who would be producing the goods? Who would wake up every morning fighting the urge to sleep in, go to work, produce food, services, houses, etc?
I would say more, if every person that is able would work, maybe then the rest wouldn’t be forced to work 5 days a week (some even more) until they are really old. Maybe then we will work 4 days a week and wouldn’t be so stressed about large social taxes that are used to sustain the “free spirits” that are not so stupid as to work for the society.
If you thing government is a oppression tool, than please be consequent enough not to take the help it gives you, because it gives it to you under the assumption you are apart of the society, when in reality you are just taking and not giving.
To those that say they are happy receiving the unemployment help (i am not talking about people between jobs or in trouble, but of those that make unemployment a lifestyle) i want to say that they are just using a bug in the system, a system they laugh about.
the possibility to choose not to work came with the development of the society, when people could produce enough to sustain a larger number of not workers. And to abuse this is very parasite like from my point of view.
I SURELY would prefer to stay at home and read novels, watch TV, go to the park, but i have to live of something that i do, not something others did.
I trust the society to help me when in trouble, but i do my best to keep out of it.
all paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind
-attributed to aristotle
How did we link the pyramids with the stars in egpyt
these days we sink an unsinkable seaship
- me , ex bum rapper
Think about it as society has progressed humans have lost intelligence by selling free products such as gas, water, whats next tax the air. Society is the mental ward and the tablets are compared to booze and fags to numb your ass to stop you from thinking for yourselves. Ive worked in my life many times and realised im a slave to a company whose main concern is money you shallow creatures , shout outs to the sheep who abandoned the blind shepard. If we decide to work let it be for a good cause nurse, charity organizer etc. Why should we pay for food electricity etc prices are disgusting cmon food grows on trees, electricity is a free power how dare humans put a price on it you bitches.
I see quite a few anti-work comments, which is great. The modern system of employment is a scam. Being forced to work by the threat of poverty is slavery. All who value freedom should resist employment and seek alternative methods of survival.
In my country, there’re many beggars who are able to work but don’t want to work!
Some people don’t want to live the same life: eat, drink, sleep, earn money but they still work!
After graduation, I will find a job!!
Working hard is the road to glory!
I too quit work. I am fortunate enough to have parents to rely on, and use my free mind to devote more time to helping my parents and volunteering that I actually enjoy doing. When I was working, I was too stressed to enjoy those things.
There are people who enjoy their 9-5 jobs, which makes me think there is something wrong with me. I do have social anxiety, fear of making mistakes, and an aversion to doing things which seem senseless. I’m trying to change the way I think so I can overcome these and get back to work, but it’s not easy.
Plus, I get mixed messages on how I should act. From one side, employers tell me to relax and accept my mistakes. On the other side, they tell me to be extremely careful of one little slip. So I’m supposed to be extremely alert but relaxed all at once? It’s not fun trying to maneuver through the “should”s of life.
Here’s the question. If we don’t do the 9-5, how else do we pay rent, bills, clothes etc? I’m not a big spender, but I like to eat out a few times a year, use the internet, rent skates, visits my relatives overseas etc. All these require money.
I think the only way I can be happy is through self-employment, but even through that I have to deal with people, and then ignite the same insecurities that prevented me from working. It’s my best option.
I used to believe that on order to work well, I need to believe that what I’m doing it worth the energy it’s taking from me. I worked as a mentor and teacher, and got lots of praise and thanks from students and parents alike, but it wasn’t enough.
I’m on welfare. I get a generous 18,000 US dollars a year tax free on disability. I live in a spacious, two bedroom, two story apartment, and I live ALONE. I run a car, have broadband, a new laptop, and most importantly, I don’t give a **** what ’society’ thinks about me. Society condoned and still condones the institution that disabled me in the first instance. I have no respect for ‘the working man’, I have pity for his slavery of course, but I’m certainly not going to agree with mindless claims that I am wasting tax dollars that come from fools who consistently vote for governments who waste trillions on ridiculously unnecessary things such as submarines (the cold war is over morons), bank bailouts, presidential helicopters that cost more than air force one, pathetic propaganda government funded tv ads costing billions, and you have the balls to complain about welfare recipients? That’s not how it works pal.
(the rest of this foul, angry, comment has been removed by Mr. Jones)
Wow, you sound so bitter. I would hope that you are doing things to improve your condition. Not just sitting in the “lazy chair” smoking and drinking your problems away..and worseing your health because of the depression that you must be feeling. Look to broaden your horizons, and find positive things to enjoy, and to be an active member in society in some capacity. Not a “Whoa is me” type. I’m sorry for your problems, and sorrier that it has reduced you to this level of thinking. However, good health and sunshine make a huge difference in one’s mental state. I wish you many blessings.
It’s because of those FOOLS who PAY taxes and working their ass off every fkin day to pay their BILLS and FEED their children, that you can buy all those fancy things.
Have some goddamn respect.
Really Jones’ view promotes the worst kind of person. Granted there exist a multitude of shiftless people who desire– and should not be granted– handouts, but those who glorify meaningless materialism as ‘being productive’ are not better, but in fact worse, since they actually propagate the system which will lead to an irrational and eventually unsustainable society. This ‘productive’ class of people seeks to continually fill the inspective and introspective voids in its constituent’s lives by consuming its own useless produce (great, so now I can watch a crappy tv show on my cell phone!). Since the aforementioned class of mindless people controls society—thanks to democratic capitalism– even the people who might otherwise do something useful or creative (e.g. mathematicians, physicists, authors, etc.) end up working towards empty goals (e.g. analyzing risk for investment banks and designing better media devices to display worse content). Machines could perform 90+ percent of those ‘productive’ jobs Americans esteem better and cheaper, and, if we actually had an educated society on top of the machine laborers, then people could spend their time pursuing enriching and useful activities. Now you’ll have to excuse me as I must get drunk and find last night’s American Idol performances on the internet (ah, if only I were being sarcastic).
Yes I do work and I know some people that don’t
Clap clap another fine upstanding brainwashed citizen. Keep working little slave boy keep working!
Fascinating blog responses. Seriously, this is the query of the year, “Why don’t people want to work?” People sound fed up, entitled, spiritual, angry that they have to do the task everyday, and work paycheck to paycheck for some. Of course, I certainly understand this blog, and it doesn’t reflect on the mentally ill, disabled person, or someone taking care of a loved one who is ill. This is about working to make a difference in your life and everyone else’s life. Humankind has come such a long way, and it was not from the Glory of it all. Einstein(relativity), Banting(found insulin) Curie (French chemist that found radium and polonium), Sir Alexander Fleming(founder of penicillin), ect…the list goes on. If these people didn’t want to work, because they didn’t like what lowly lives they lived, and how little they got in life, where would we be today? I think we all need to find our particular passion and goals. We are all unique in our own ways, and have so much to offer. T.V. has given too many people a fantasyland an escape from the labor/daily grind. It’s too bad, great minds go to waste watching the tube.
How many people do you know that play the lottery, either everyday, or every Friday and Saturday…and what do you think they all say they will do when they win that big “pie in the sky”, “Quit my job!”. If everyone quit there job and just didn’t work, life would really not be worth living.
I too see homeless standing on the corners of the freeway exits asking for handouts, daily, I hear that they make a lot of money. I have a lot of uncomfortable views on the homeless situation, maybe in another post response I will share them.
People should take responsiblity, and strive to do the right thing in life for the betterment of mankind. That is what it is all about. “Survival of the fittest” if us Americans don’t give off our lazy butts and get busy, we will not be a World Power. Nothing gets done eating Captain crunch while sitting in front of the television.
I work, but I only work because I have to. I really hate it. I hate that I’m being forced to waste my life on something I never wanted to do, because we’re forced into it. There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not angry about it, and I do feel enslaved. There’s nothing I can do. In society, we need money, and we need to work to get that money. I avoided work as long as I could, until I was 20, and even now I only work 4 hour shifts because I want to enjoy the short time I have on Earth, doing what I want to do, not what some boss is demanding I do. I’m single and don’t have any kids. Things are rough sometimes, but there’s never a day when I would consider trading my relative freedom to work 8 hour shifts for more money. Time is more valuable than money.
I’d rather hunt or fish, but land mysteriously belongs to someone, so there is no shelter without work. This system is flawed. It’s all meaningless production to ensure that we’re safe enough to meaninglessly produce more.
This whole lifestyle of a 40 hour work week is bull shit. It is not a healthy lifestyle. People today are far to stressed out. Honestly why do we need to work so hard? What are we working towards? Heart attacks? Retirement?
If I won the lottery I wouldn’t quit my job I would get fired.
“Golly!” I didn’t realize how many people are angry and fed up with the idea of working. What else would you do if you didn’t work? Let’s go to the land of “NOBODY WORKS HERE.” Take away all the vehicles, t.v’s, food, clothes, houses, boats, airplanes, hospitals, ect… Now, are you happy???????
People need to do what they enjoy, or feel the need to do that creates a lifestyle on a grander scale. Seriously, if people had these attitudes that I’m reading about here, you’d seriously not want to be living here. Man, there would be nothing fun to play with or do.
In response to the land of “Nobody Works Here”
In a communal living situation everyone does something. It’s unavoidable, it’s natural, it’s how we live as humans in our native environment. Look at the tribes who live peacefully in the jungles, or the american indians before they were forced to conform. There are systems which work and work well and are actually productive and positive to the whole family. An area is dedicated to the children, members of the community, mainly the mothers, are found there with the children. Together they teach them and raise them in the larger family. No one is ever stressed out, no child is ever abused. Those who wish to do so will find wood for structures and for fire. Respecting the land, using only dry, dead wood. Never green wood. Entertainment would be found in the creative types, they spend their day making music, crafts, and performing for the others in theaters built from the earth. Huge gardens would provide food for everyone and since this system would not be faulty and evil, everyone will love to give a helping hand to keep “Eden” alive. Work would not be slavery, it would be what is now called SUSTAINABLE LIVING. True “green” living.
I may not be able to express myself through writing very well, but I have experience in this type of living in tribes reaching 10 thousand + and know that it is very possible and very easy and that our very nation was originally this type of democracy and it lives to this day and will one day return to the lost children of the earth.
Blessings, love and light
Sorry, there are some things I left out;
Medical aid is found through natural healers who use herbs, plants, and understanding of the Chakra system, acupuncture and other forms of “alternative” medicine that actually works and does not have the side effects of the pills fed to those in the system by “big pharma” These services are FREE, and why should they not be?
Money? What’s that? We need to understand that we are all one family and should not hesitate to care for each other. If your brother/sister is hungry, why not feed him/her?
If there is something wrong that is making them sad, anxious, depressed, or otherwise unhappy or unable to “contribute” it is NOT their fault. Help them and you are helping yourself.
I’ve started a movement in my city(Austin) where we are offering free gardens to all who ask. We have quite a few in people’s yards now. This food is creating a surplus that is even now too much for all of us. We are forced to share it. Once we cover the city with gardens then we will have taken an important step towards sustainability and freedom. First we free the food, then we free the electricity and gas, then we free the housing and soon we free ourselves from this system. THIS is what some “lazy bums” are doing while they aren’t begging for change. They are working to help you out and not making a dime doing it because that’s not what’s important. Our freedom is.
I appreciate and see your point on many levels of communal living. A vast majority of people do not wish to live that way. Everyone has a different degree of what they want in life, and I believe that applies here as well. Most (not all) communal living that I have witnessed have been rather cultish in appearance, or very old school. Newer modern thinkers aren’t going to want to conform to that way of living. In retrospect, I mean that these people of Generation X and the baby boomers, some not all…are not going to go for a communal living, but on another hand don’t want to work because life is too easy, or they feel that they deserve handouts. Not everyone believes in Eastern Medicine, and I know people that don’t believe in Western Medicine…the list can go on, but I do see what you are saying. In essence, we living in a varied culture, and there are going to be people that are lazy, born out of it.
Path of least resistance is the physical way of the universe… deal with it, we are all lazy at heart. Work is just a means of creating more laziness down the line and sometimes it’s only those at the top that get to enjoy it at their country clubs and such. I don’t give money to the guy on the street often, but I never feel cheated by him either, just that he is in a really bad situation despite the myths that you hear of them making a good living doing it.
I did read between the lines and caught the “myths” part of your inference to the homeless asking for handouts and making a good living off of it. Certainly, it isn’t a myth that they do well begging at the stop lights, exits, and where ever else they can find a fresh victim to submit to their dire needs for “hope in a dollar.” When you see these homeless beggars on the streets asking for money, it is usually the same ones at the same spots everyday. It is by no other vastitude that we feel compelled to give…by virtue only of our desire to be viewed as a martyr in the afterlife, that somehow the God of Chritians and the like of any religion compells people that to believe in the unseen, the hope of better treatment in the afterlife will come to them. Homeless people are truly a people looking for someone to work for them, so they don’t have to.
Unless a person has a serious physical disability, or mental equivalent, then the person without these deficits, should “GET A J. O. B! Exemption for mothers with babys and small children, and the Men and Women that served this country and have disabilities that the government has abandoned. The Vietnam Vets for an example. Also, future wars that we shouldn’t have fought, and the government has failed to provide for.
In wrapping up, I don’t mean to come off sounding like a “Hag,” but there are a number of people that are just lazy, and try the “goodwill” of others. I just wish it were easier to say who to give to. I don’t mean not to help out a chap that needs it for the short-term, but when it is the same individual, and he has no other reason for being homeless, other than he or she lacks motivation, and the determination to remove themselves from that lifestyle, then I have a problem with it
I know currently, several people that are being evicted from their homes, and I know they would never appear to anyone to be a homeless person, but they are. They just don’t stand on street corners asking for handouts and they don’t look disheveled (yet). They are also quite capable of working, but I have witnessed for years that they choose not to do the right things. Now, their options are diminished and they are being evicted. Some are even College Degreed!
Thank you for listening to my review of the matter, it is a pleasure to share thoughts and concerns with you all.
Choices. I’m glad you mentioned that. I knew the exact moment I shot myself in the foot financially… and three years down the line I’m still doing it and still suffering the consequences (albeit supporting myself (barely making ends meet) but supporting myself). It may be true that many of us are literally one paycheck from complete brokedom.. but if you know that, then choose wisely.
I think all the responses have been great! Reading them has been therapeutic lol… I’m not alone or crazy. Looks like everybody hates “working” lol..
I didn’t mean to scare anyone away!
Working for money is the biggest bullshit in the world.
I hate it when people say “you have to work hard for money” I mean if you don’t work then you don’t have money, generally, and you life isn’t as good because you can’t afford luxuries. BUT if you “work hard” 40 hours a week, you have money but life isn’t enjoyable from working so much. The best thing anyone can do is work for themselves and provide value to people, i.e…start their own business.
10 Reasons why you shouldnt get a job:
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/10-reasons-you-should-never-get-a-job/
I don’t like working but I know that society can’t survive without work. I wish we didn’t have to. I wish the Venus Project could be complete now and we could worry about something more meaningful than these mundane and repetitive processes. But its whats necessary. If everyone lived by the exact same ethic that they don’t need to work, it wouldn’t matter if you were “lazy”, you’d still be just as miserable as everyone else because there would be no services.
Its just, what you have to do as a society. The hardest thing for me is getting up and finding a job. A good motivation. That, and finding one that doesn’t totally suck for someone my age (21 years old). Unlike my peers I like to have a balance in life, and not make work my life.
I agree with what most are saying here… the current system makes for a completely pointless existence. I truly feel sorry for you if you think that working 40+ hours a week with 2 weeks vacation is ‘life’… I’d rather be free and broke and have a free mind to work on other things than sell myself into slavery.
Do you really think the Starmaker, who created all the billions of galaxies, would want you to spend this miracle of existence in some f***ing office? Please, get a grip!
‘I’m broke but I’m happy,
I’m poor but I’m kind’
- Alanis Morissette.
Everyone here has shown the multiple sides of this discussion. This is not completely black and white – life is more of a muddled brown …
Here is what I know:
Money does NOT equal happiness; money DOES buy conveniences.
Poverty is not artistic nor beautiful nor simple.
Providing a stable, loving home for your family has nothing to do with money.
We are all creative people that come from different walks in life – we choose different paths for different reasons – we have different values. Life is not simple.
I am thankful for help when I receive it and I give to those in need. There is no room for judgment. It’s a waste of time to worry about what other people might have or might be taking from our “system”. Be content with what you have or change your life so that you can live without worrying. Live within your financial means and grow your spirit / artist side as well – it’s all about balance.
I’ve held a 40+ hours/week jobs for the past 20 years – I work to live the life I want. If I wanted a different life I might work more or less … that’s how it works – life is what you make of it. All we really have control over is our time – spend it wisely. If I were to sacrifice the artist / spirit in me to a job I would be miserable. Again, this is not black and white … more of a muddled brown.
great cap on the convo lee! I so needed to read all of these tonight.. the laughs.. the insults… lol… the arguments.. the points made…. great blog… i’m motivated again!
Thank you all!
Thanks for the reply, Jam-Jam. Have you found your passion, yet?
i work the 8-6 thing everyday. whatever. but i have two friends who don’t. one chooses not to work and is basically siphoning off his family and searching for a girlfriend who will take care of him so he can just hang out. the other one is a recovering crack addict who dropped out, smoked his life away and is now mowing lawns to make ends meet.
i never thought i could respect a crack addict. at least he accepts his mistake and is making an effort to be self sufficient. the other guy just says he “refuses to be part of society”.
work is about taking responsibility for yourself. so if you decide not to work, that’s fine. that is your level of responsibility. But when your appendix bursts and you have to pay $15K to have it taken care of because you don’t have health insurance, you must face the fact that your choices led to your situation.
my siphoning friend says that if that happens to him he’ll just “go to the desert and die”. nice.
I am surrounded by people of various levels of work ethics. In fact, I just spoke with a 70 year old woman, who is working five days per week, and they are short days, but still. Then another woman who dropped out of the workforce, and barely exists at the age of 58. These are extreme cases, however, I do not know how rare. Then a ton of retiree’s living on nothing.
I personally enjoy my work. Of course, when I am home and doing fun things around here, or kayaking, or rollerblading, I enjoy that too. However, I’m desiring a “Skidoo, motorboat, laptop, camera, and a ton of other stuff.” If I didn’t work, I would never be able to by my toys! How cool is that!
It is amazing to watch these people on their Skidoos on Mission Bay, and then they go out into the Huge Pacific Ocean, and can go really fast! I kayak out there, but there is no comparison.
I’m glad I work, and enjoy what I do, and wish others could find their “niche,” because one thing that I know foresure…a nonworking person is never really satisfied with their life.
Best to All!
Actually, I am 36 years old and utterly hate working. I actually woke up one day thinking do I care about civilization or even furthering it. What exactly am I here for.. to just produce? Is that my whole existence.. I am here to just grind and produce like a slave.
I guess I am like the cellular organisms on a slide under a microscope. It doesn’t seem there is a point but just a job they do.. I guess they have to just to keep existing.. They just go to and fro.. Doing their “job”.. Is that my life.. Hell no.. In my life. I will work when I need to.. I will try my best not to exist off others. It all seems pointless.. The cell keeps it going.. there has to be a point to that cell .. One that is more divine than just to support our body so it can produce junk that seems pointless in the grand scheme of things.. We eat up energy that was produced from our sun for free.. but we take that energy and overall create a system we say that needs to be supported and paid for by the rest of us.. Even though the energy was provided to us for free we create the system and use the bodies that were not owned by anyone or even us and ask for compensation. We say are labor is worth something.. What about all the cellular organisms that produce your life .. Don’t they deserve compensation.. No.. They just do the work for you so they can exist and you can exist.. They ask for nothing in return except you support them.. Give them the energy they need.. No, we limit the energy sources our body’s need from others.. Even though we didn’t create the energy.. We just gained it from another source.. We could say it is a big competition but I think we are all intelligent enough to grow above being an animal..
There isn’t a day that goes by.. Have we all missed the point to this reality.. Maybe for thousands of years like automatons… Like robots walking to and fro..
People get so angry about this.. I think some people mold their entire lives around the philosophy “you have to work hard if you want the things you desire in this world”.. Honestly, I don’t want anything from this world.. It seems bland so far.. pointless..
When my dad was dying.. my sister told me “I have an interview to do today.. I have to get that out of the way”.. She didn’t go because I pleaded to her that her dad was more important than some job.. When my mother died.. My brother said.. “I have to finish up my job here first then I will come home…”.. What crap lives we have.. Everything evolves around our employment.. This world seems pointless.. Deadlines that seem so important .. When in the end we just die..
Oooooh, what a day! In Paradise I am. I was in the Ocean all day, Boogieboarding, and then went hiking in the lagoon in the evening. Pure pleasure.
Work called to see what days I was available for October, and called them back to update. I have to let them know after I find out from my second job, when I will be available for the other job. I’m so excited to go to work tomorrow, and see all these wonderful people that I work with, and the patients that I take care of. It’s such a social hour! I love my Job!!! Find Your Passion People!!! Be of service to people, and it returns to you in spades!
I still get to play in the Ocean whenever I want, because I make my days the way I want them to be. I still write on my blogs, and develop my website, and I have to honestly say…I wish I didn’t have to sleep! I have so many things that keep me pleasurably busy…and sleep is an interruption.
I do not want to work. im able. Im in college I’m 21… My parents are paying for it. I’m a little spoiled. I really just want to move to the jungle and eat berries all day. Why cant i do that??? well.. I CAN! see ya in the rainforest ya’ll.
Sounds like you are headed for a Wonderful Life! Have you watched the movie “Into the Wild?” You might want to watch that first.
Wishing you all the best!
http://www.viralnurse.blogspot.com/
http://www.viralnurse.wordpress.com/
or my website:
http://www.pamilinanewsresearch.com
Unemployment process has got to change. Maybe in order to get unemployment …part of the deal is you have to work at least 20 hours a week for your community. Then they have time to look for a job, network and they aren’t earning money for doing nothing…
able bodied people not able to work
ok have you heard of a thing called being hired
going to job interview
work is not volunteering
never heard of a paid voluteer position with benefits
and the assumption that every person asking for money is lazy
ok
there is a thing called competition
i or anyone cant hire themselves
there is a thing called an interview process
someone is making the decision if you work for them or not
gosh
get over it
if i were in charge
the poeple who would lose their jobs
would be those who put others down for not having a job or keeping a job
get over it!!!!!!
cant just go to a grocery store on aisle 10
hey heres a job
i will just walk in tom and ill get paid
dude
while youre in fairy tale land
say hi to tinekerbell
I know what you mean. I am seeing that now, especially, in this marketplace with everyone tightening their belts. They are being even pickier. The worst that I have seen from all this fallout, is homeless people literally, tons more. Plus, nurses coming out of school, can’t get jobs. Hospitals aren’t hiring new graduates right now. I would be so upset if that were me. I know things will get better, but it’s just the waiting and seeing. Lots of people are hurting, and I can see that in what I am reading. I wish everyone well.
i found my passion
however its very competitive
i cant do what i want to do
i dont want to go to a dead end job
going nowhere
with a horrible boss
and horrible coworkers
i like my lifestyle
i am free to do so many things and events
if i had a job
i would be able to do none of them
a job will never be my life
a part of it
but never my whole life
Some of us don’t live to work. I am a writer and like my freedom to live life. I’m trying to get OUT of the corporate world right now and to pursue my own passions in life. Some of us also have no desire to go to a 9-5 job and be a “domesticated pet” to someone else (in the words of Steve Pavlina) and work in indentured servitude for 40 years. We have our own creative pursuits and are not always in it to make loads of money to purchase useless material crap just to feed the greedy American GDP. I need money for food, shelter, and clothing, nothing else. This blogger makes some pretty sweeping generalizations about people on street corners and housewives and assumes people are living off of the government. What about the Amish of this country? They certainly don’t take handouts from the government and get along just fine in this country. They don’t ‘work’ for someone else. I have a feeling, my friend, that you are walking around with blinders on. Get to know those people on the street corner before you make assumptions. Have some compassion for others for pete’s sake. THAT’S the problem with some people in this country.
I totally agree with not wanting to work for corporate america, the greed, and as you so elloquently put it “indentured servitude for 40 years,” I too have found a passion in my own life, and having to go out of my home to a place of work, to perform duties to be paid, seems like an encroachment on my time, and the things I venture to do in my own life.
I think my thinking was spun from a web of deceit over many years. Everyone telling me that you have to have a job, you have to have health insurance, you have to have 401K, all the “You Have Ta’s” My mind has been brainwashed, and please forgive me if I sputter out words that seem injurous, but it is from all those years that I was fed the line of bull time after time after time. I am just now coming into my own. In fit’s and starts, but I’m doing it.. Breaking away from the proverbial mold of “domesticated pet,” and I too am finding a passion in writing. Enjoying being home, cooking, writing, and visiting with friends, and neighbors. Wow! what a life this is.
Tomorrow starts me back to a workload away from my home. But, I am looking at it like an adventure, as each day begins anew. Dreaming of what I could be doing if I were home, and having the excitement knowing, when I have that moment to express myself in my own domain, that I will have earned it even more…for the patience and tolerance of all the other activities that I had to perform.
I plan, and plot to have my own life. However, for me it is taking me to work and put money away. I have cut out lots of expenses, and don’t require much. The plan is unfolding and gets closer everday.
Here’s an pleasant website if there are any Christians on this blog: http://www.ChristiansUnitedNow.com
God Bless