Re: Property Rights

david_musick@juno.com
Tue, 11 May 1999 10:52:44 -0600

Mark asks:

"Why should I work if I can have anything I want for free?"

Can you have anything you want for free, even if everyone provides everything they can for you? What do you want? Happiness? Peace of mind? Discipline? An active learning mind? Loving relationships with others? Sanity? An understanding of your reality?

Nearly every worthwhile aspect of living must be provided by oneself. Even the wealthiest and most doting of parents cannot provide happiness for their children; the child must do that. A fulfilling life cannot be provided by others. They may give you advice or set examples for you, but your own happiness must be created by yourself.

Even when people have all of their physical needs taken care of, they still work, because work is a pleasurable activity. Like sex, it has always been necessary for our species' survival, so we are naturally inclined to derive pleasure from it. It is only when we feel forced to work that we do not enjoy it.

Providing one's physical needs is actually quite easy. I have lived on about $600 a month for the past few years, and I have lived quite comfortably. This level of income is well into the "poverty" level, yet I am not impoverished. This is why I say there are enough resources in the world to provide for everyone's basic physical needs. Nearly everyone can earn at least $600 a month.

Of course, our physical needs are the easiest needs to fulfill, and they can be provided by others for free. Emotional, Intellectual and Spiritual needs cannot be given for free; they must be developed by individuals themselves, with some support from those around them.

So, why should you work when you can have anything you want for free? Most of what you want, you must work to provide for yourself, regardless of how much others give you.

what do you really want?

David_Musick@juno.com


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