The Main Elements of a Paying Job

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(Philosocom Directory on Work)

There are two main elements in having a paying job: income and the results of the role you have in that occupation, otherwise known as influence, power, or simply effect. The more of the latter you have, the likelier you are to reach a peak of satisfaction, provided that your income can sustain your living expenses. Therefore, work necessarily has a political role, whether one is a subordinate or a leader.

While income is crucial for financial security, job satisfaction often stems from the impact one has on their work. This influence, or "effect," can be more fulfilling than mere monetary gain.

Many people prioritize money over finding purpose, leading to potential disappointment. Many of them simply worry about surviving, rather than asking themselves: "What to survive for?". While money is essential, it's not a guaranteed path to happiness. True satisfaction often lies in meaningful work that puts one away from the knife.

I am not saying that gaining money is bad, nor that money is the root of all evil. Money can help you survive and even prosper in this world, but can it truly serve as a satisfying source of existential meaning, even if we have much (or, too much) money? I do not know. Perhaps some people just want to have a high and profitable income, not just an income that pays the bills, to compensate for their internal emptiness.

We are often taught that there can be too little money, but not too much of it. In a world where excessive money is associated with a higher worth in the social and romantic hierarchy, this is not necessarily justified.

Having a job just for an income may be motivating, but it ignores so much of the importance of one's occupation and role, both to oneself and to the bigger picture of the world. Every occupation, after all, has some sort of importance, productivity, usage, and contribution.

Every job, regardless of income, has value. Janitors, for instance, contribute to hygiene and health, essential aspects of life. Thus, the importance of a job lies in its impact, not just its pay. Pay, often, can be auxiliary. Hence why many may volunteer.

Regardless of income, every job can be considered important to some degree. It is important because it has some influence and assistance to the public, and, at times, even to oneself. If there weren't a necessity for a specific job, that job wouldn't exist in the first place.

Thinking more thoroughly about it, every moment in life can be seen as important because life is a structure of moments, and each moment affects the following moment and the moments after that moment. Why else would every moment be important? Life's moments are valuable in themselves, regardless. Each moment, as seemingly minor, offers opportunities for learning and growth. For me, knowledge and intellectual pursuit are more fulfilling than wealth. Even more than power itself.

So, at least for me, obtaining knowledge and creating wisdom out of it is much more important than income. One could use their income for two main things: living (buying supplies, surfing the internet, paying the bills, all the things in daily life which require payment to ensure existence) and anything else that surrounds leisure with their respective works.

For me, funds is not a meaning by itself, but the servant of an individual's meaning. And I? I am ascetic.

Whenever I see news stories about the largely unnecessary and expensive things in life (spa treatments, concerts, expensive alcohol, exotic travel, nightclubs, and so forth), and gossip on those who have these properties, I often feel angry.

I don't want these and I am not jealous. It is frustrating to see the common delusion that there is no such thing as too much money, as it's not realized that satisfaction can be easily reached at much cheaper prices. Therefore you save much energy at work, earning the same pay for the same end, and saving money too.

If I had less opportunities to indulge in intellectual issues and deeds, I would find myself having no “higher” meaning whatsoever, as no amount of riches can bring true satisfaction, as much as article-writing. Even financially rich and successful people may find a lack of meaning in their lives, just like the poor and the unfortunate. Lonely, too.

Thus, when comparing these two roles of a job, if its pay sustains your living successfully, the contribution and satisfaction should exceed its income. For there is, truly, such a thing as too much money.