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Against the Notion of Work as a Virtue

Industriousness, assiduousness and hard work – these are not virtues, yet believed to be by many. For those who do not exert effort and embrace idleness, whether they choose to or due to illness that prevents them from exertion (such as working), society looks upon them in disdain. Yet this disdain derives from their envy.

Work – to be employed – forces you to give up on all other more beneficial virtues that make the individual. With work, you are to be someone else; to be what your employer and its clients want you to be; to give into frivolous social norms and conventions in order to be accepted by said employer or clients; rather than to allow you to live a simple life free from conformity. This nonconforming, simple life is profound as it is an embrace on the individual (the self), in contrast with the judgement of one’s surrounding apes – other people.

Unliberated excess productivity via the ideal of employment encompassing arduousness and exertion, causes significant physical and psychological harm by default and those who embrace idleness, tranquillity and disburdening have come to terms with the reality that hard work is not a desirable state of living.

Industriousness is merely a choice, or solely based on personality. The entirety of humanity should not need to be guilted by the masses or a political authority merely because their choices, values and desires are different from the rest.