The value of work

it's a toughie, for me. if i were independently wealthy, i would definitely say that work would be solely something i do because of its intrinsic value. however i *have* to work for a living, so i have made compromises that i struggle with all the time, in my mind. in my view it takes no small amount of courage to work without significant regard to the money being paid, especially if you have a family counting on you to help support them. sadly, i wish i knew more people who love their work. /andrew - hasn't decided yet which choice to take in this poll

I think there are other things to consider besides those two points but would lean towards position 2, if I had to make a choice, as I work despite not really having to do so for monetary purposes, but do things that I believe in and are interesting to me.

Personally, I would take the meanest nastiest job rather than rely on the largesse of the Government or some other person to take care of me and my family. A guy I know sits at home, unemployed, because he won't take a job that is "beneath him." He's been doing this for about 2 years now, because he can't find a job in his field. His wife works part time, and goes to the blood bank and sells her blood for money so she can support their family. I find it unbelievable that a man could allow such a thing. I would shovel sewage in a toxic waste dump before I allowed such a thing to happen to my family. My mother got me my very first job when I was in 2nd grade. I worked in a Florsheim shoe store on Tuesdays and Thursdays, sweeping, cleaning, polishing, etc. I've had some sort of job (paper routes, retail, etc.) almost continuously ever since. I've had some really bad jobs in my life. Some of the worst were: Installing insulation in commercial buildings in the Arizona heat; Cleaning unbelievably foul restrooms and showers and collecting garbage at a state park; Working on a landscaping crew; Laying asphalt and surfacing tennis courts and tracks; Putting up miles and miles of barbed wire fence. Dismantling old airplane hangers in the middle of a swamp. All of these jobs paid very little. However, they gave me money, a sense of self-reliance, confidence, and a strong desire to go to school and get a job that was more rewarding. The ability and willingness to work is, in my opinion, important whether you need the money or not. Even though I now have the ability to give my children everything they want, I make them get jobs and pay for things themselves. I want them to have pride in their accomplishments, and it means more if you have earned something yourself, rather than having it given to you. However, I also see nothing wrong with working your way into a job you enjoy, and then taking a well-deserved retirement. I hope to retire early. However, I would also like to have a second career as a teacher or perhaps a prosecutor. These are both honorable professions that I chose not to pursue because of financial reasons. I haven't given up on them entirely, however. One recent anecdote regarding work: My son and I drove by a crew of men, trying to repair a broken water line. They were knee deep in mud, digging, sweating, clearly not having fun. My son said, "They must be getting paid lots and lots of money because the work they do is so hard." I let him in on the truth that the more fun your job is, the more money you make, and that the nastiest and least fun jobs get paid the least.

Middle of a swamp? Quite. I have a distinct penchant for obscure abandoned buildings.

Yes. Big metal girder framed hangers. We would climb up, unscrew (or chisel, if they were fused) the fasteners apart, dismantling it from the top down, and then drag the metal onto a truck for salvage. In about a foot of stagnant, standing water. Think mosquitos, think Virginia in the Summer time, think 90 degrees, sun, and high humidity. I was 15 years old, and was getting paid about $30 per day.

Kai, I have nothing but respect for all the hard work you've done. That is another thing one can get from work: respect. Your friend who is sitting around making excuses for himself and allowing his wife to sell her body fluids for money needs to get over himself, act like a real man, and get to work.

Nice to know the ruling class has completely brainwashed the proletariat...

Steve, you live in San Antonio??? I didn't think there were any liberals in San Antonio, TX.

I'm sure Steve moved to TX to follow in the footsteps of his idol... George Dubya.

Logan: Yeah- they're a few and I'm starting a movement to import more from Austin. Mike: Was thinking of hiking out to Crawford and chaining myself to the gates of the ranch, but I don't think my kids would like bailing me out of jail. I have a conservative(?&#33 client from the Bay Area who thinks I'll meet with vigilante justice, so I'm trying to keep a low profile.

Ditto. Now Steve, I would sincerely appreciate it if you would clarify and expand upon what you said. Certainly you can't support the bum that Kai described, but what do you suggest? Please understand that I'm really trying to understand here, I don't want to flame or troll. Thanks

Mr Harrison: To which comment of mine are you referring?

I actually like the bookkeeping work I'm doing now, even though it takes a lot of mental stamina (especially near the ends of the months.) If it wasn't gratifying, I wouldn't be doing it. I worked jobs that I grew to hate and I'm the kind of person who has a very low b.s. tolerance. All the money in the world wouldn't be enough to make me do something I view as worthless.