Even in our modern high technology world, there are still lots of things that need to be done. Work needs to be done, and somebody has to do it. The trouble is, most of us would prefer it if somebody else did the work so we can get on with what we really want to do. This has been a big theme in history, though surprisingly not one that people talk about a lot.
The most notable example of people taking extreme measures to avoid working was the Spartans. The Spartans were a tiny minority in the country they lived in. The majority were Helots who were the descendants of a people the Spartans had conquered and subsequently made to do all the work. The Spartans concentrated on their primary goals in which military supremacy and combing their hair figured highly.
Although the Spartans took the idea of forcing people to do their stuff for them to an extreme, other cultures came up with similar schemes. The Roman Empire was built on slavery. It has been suggested that the growth of the empire was primarily motivated by the desire to acquire slaves. We don't like to think about it too much but the modern world in which we live in has a large component of it that was built on slavery. In the US it was explicitly a major issue in the politics of the nineteenth century, but both France and Britain relied heavily on the output of more distant slave labour to develop their economies over the same time period.
But morals develop as well, and we no longer consider it acceptable to simply force fellow human beings to work. So now if something needs to be done we pay people to do it. Jobs have taken over from slavery as the primary means by which necessary work gets done. Its a big step forward from slavery.
But as most of us who have one know, jobs aren't really all that fulfilling on the whole. Despite a lot of waffle from Human Resources departments, the plain fact is that we are there being paid to do something because we wouldn't do it if we weren't. Most of us realise this even if we don't always like to admit it to ourselves or others. But our actions speak volumes. Not many of us arrive at work hours before we are contracted to, and most of us get out as soon as we can at the end of the shift.
Steve comes along and blows the whole gaff. Having a job is for mugs. If we have a job then we must be creating enough profit to pay our wages and give the company a good return, so we must be getting paid less than our true value. How generous we must by, Steve sneers. And how do we have to behave at work? Just like servants in effect. And we have to put up with the company of hopeless cowards and wretches. And it isn't even safe. The boss can switch off your income stream at any point leaving you potentially destitute.
It is great knockabout stuff and written with verve and passion. And you have to admit, he does make some pretty good points. This is one of Steve's most acerbic posts. He lays into the employed stripping them of any defences and leaving them robbed of any dignity and self respect.
It is a great read and very thought provoking. A couple of his points are simply unanswerable. Having a job does leave you open to the risk of losing your income if you get fired. Anyone who wants to remain employed needs to bear in mind that there really is no such thing as a safe job and to keep their future employability in mind. I loved the bit where he pointed out that a great deal of moans about ones place of work aren't expressed with any expectation or even hope that the problem will ever be solved. I couldn't help but see myself in that one.
What is the solution? Rather than think about selling your time by the hour, you should concentrate on creating value that can be turned into an income stream. The example he gives is his own blog, which generates impressive monthly revenues. As he points out, it is successful not because of the amount of time it takes him to write it but because of the value it offers to its visitors. All we need to do is to come up with our own unique bit of value, work out how to turn it into money and we are good to go. No ideas? Look in a bookshop. There are plenty out there that can be adapted.
It all sounds great. So why are we not all leaving our jobs in droves and joining Steve enjoying ourselves creating value? Much as I love this article there are sadly some flaws in the case it makes. I think Steve is well aware of them as well, but lets spell them out.
First off, having a job is a good deal for plenty of people. Letting someone else have the responsibility of working out what needs to be done frees up plenty of people to concentrate on what they do best. And there are some things that really need people to have jobs to get done. Long distance travel, late night shopping, policemen. You can come up with your own list.
The post works because there is a lot of truth in the caricature, but caricature it is. Some employers are pantomime villains, but most aren't. They do generally look after their employees, or at least aren't deliberately trying to turn them into zombies. And there are lots of things you might want to do in your life that would never form the basis of an income stream. Getting a job and doing them in your spare time might be the only way you can achieve your goal. And to be frank, some of us are happiest just following the well worn path. A job does put food on the table, and that may be all you need to do.
But that doesn't detract from the value. It is good to think things through from time to time. Maybe the job option isn't the best for you. And it is surprising how value can be turned into cash with some imagination. A good example is a guy called Mike Duncan who for the last couple of years has been doing a weekly podcast on the History of Rome. I highly recommend it. You can find it on iTunes and subscribe to it for free. He does promote Audible on it, but I suspect that this does not net him much.
But he has come up with a great way to turn his loyal followers into a source of income. This coming summer he has organised a cruise around the Mediterranean visiting sites of significance in Roman history. I haven't troubled to do the maths, but I imagine he will be coming out of it in pocket. And he gets a free holiday doing what he loves. The limited number of places went very quickly so I imagine he can do the same again.
So my advice is don't give your job up on a whim. But don't assume that you have to have one either.
You can find Steve's original article here.
http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2006/07/10-reasons-you-should-never-get-a-job/
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