Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

?
Lv 5
? asked in Entertainment & MusicPolls & Surveys · 9 years ago

Would you ever do your job for free, if you still had your needs met?

I'm trying to figure out what sort of role money really plays in society, and whether it's necessary. Although it appears on the surface to create freedom, enable advancement and reward effort, it can also be seen to do the opposite. It limits the freedom of poor people, by acting as a barrier between them and their needs and abilities. It limits advances in technology and science, because people strive to make maximum profit, so low quality, short lived goods are produced instead of putting expensive research into durable and innovative goods. As for rewarding effort, this question serves to ascertain whether it truly applies, although it seems that the jobs requiring the most effort usually get the least pay. A theoretical society without money would distribute resources to all people, regardless of their job, but would still require work to be done. So my question does have a conditional... In such a society, would your job still exist, and if so, would you still do it without pay, as long as you still get all your needs met?

Update:

As for me, I sort of have 2 jobs. My main one is voluntary, and is rewarding in and of itself. I seriously love doing it. My second is a minimum wage job, stewarding at events, car parking and crowd control, which is exhausting, but to be honest, I've never actually thought about the pay, beyond the part where I get to eat and have a roof over my head. I'd do it for free. Some of my past jobs, I'd never even consider doing for free, but then again, retail work wouldn't exist without money. The equivalent, travelling the world, shipping goods.... sounds like good fun

2 Answers

Relevance
  • Anonymous
    9 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    I nearly do already. I'm an artist, but I've made so much money that I usually just give my pieces to charity auctions or donate most of the money when I sell something.

  • 9 years ago

    Nope. I work for the power company, keeping the billing straight. Before that I worked for 27 years in a power plant, keeping the electricity flowing. We killed 7 guys in that time. I've been through so many fires and explosions I've lost count. I still wake up with nightmares about working in there. I suppose if you offered me enough money, I'd go back to that, but we're talking high six figures a month. And I wouldn't stay long. And don't expect me to be nice, polite, peaceful, loving and respectful while I'm doing it. I can not do that work with a loving peaceful attitude. It's root hog or die stuff.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.