I Can Never Have a Job I Like

I was 23 before I realized that the American Dream is not for me. It's not my dream. I have a job because I need money. I need money because I am entrenched in a society that revolves around paying other people to do things I should be able to do myself. Someone has probably told you that you need a job. But, what do you really need?

Let's get back to the basics of human life. You need food and water. You need clothing. You need shelter. You need social interactions. That's it, really. Anything else will only be what you want. The capitalist culture promotes the idea of paying other people to grow and cook your food, weave your garments, and construct your house. You'll have to fork over enormous amounts of cash to get these things. So, you have a job.

This time someone else has needs and to get them, they are willing to hand you cash in exchange for something you can do. The problem here is that you are going to be spending 40 hours a week doing what someone else wants you to do instead of what you want to do. That's a hefty chunk of your life. If you're one of the lucky few who get paid to do what you would happily do unpaid, then that's great. I am skeptical of those jobs, though. I enjoy designing web pages, but when I got a job doing that, it suddenly became unfun. Most people simply accept unsatisfying jobs as normal and justify it by buying things to make them happy. Which requires more money. This cycle is completely backwards. Let's start over.

What if you could have all the things you need without having a job or needing money? Would you do it? I certainly would. I suppose you could live as a bum or a freegan. But, I would rather work to live. I would love to grow my own food, tap my own water supply, build my own house, and make my own clothes. I would be doing these things for me instead of following orders from someone else. All basic necessities are covered without the need for money. I should probably go live on a commune. But, I digress.

When I'm working for me, I'm living life. This is what it means to be human. When I get a job working for someone else, I've sacrificed some of my humanity. I have become a 40-hour-a-week drone in a society that loves telling me "that's how the world works". Well, that's not how all places work nor does it have to work that way for me.

I could never have a job I like. It is against my nature. As long as I continue to spend a quarter of my life in the service of another, I cannot be happy. If I can find a way to be mostly self-sufficent where a part-time job will pick up the slack of my needs, then that would be a fair compromise. Ideally, it would be a programming job working from home. It wouldn't be perfect, but at least I'd wouldn't be wasting my time on voluntary servitude, but spending more of it enjoying life.

Hank