The Work I Would Do If I Didn’t Have to Work

The Work I Would Do If I Didn’t Have to Work

What would we choose to do if earning a living were no longer necessary? Would we stop working, pursue something entirely different, or continue doing what we already do? Edition 11 of An Office of One’s Own begins a three-part exploration of work, freedom, identity and the things we find worth doing with our lives.

A Three-Part Exploration of the Work We Choose

This week, we begin by imagining work without financial necessity. Would we work at all? What would we do instead? What would our answers tell us about ourselves?

01 – Would I work at All?

We usually encounter work as a necessity. We need income, so we find employment, build businesses, take assignments or offer services. Our days become organised around the work we have to do. But the word work describes more than employment.

People work in gardens. They restore furniture, raise children, care for relatives, conduct independent research, organize neighborhood events and practice musical instruments. Some of these activities earn money. Others never will. They can still require concentration, discipline, responsibility and considerable effort.

Employment is an economic arrangement. Work is also a human activity.

So, what happens when we remove the economic necessity?

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