There are two reasons why people work. We work arbitrarily or by the external circumstances. Other reasons besides these are non-existent and can not exist.
Let's take a look at the first case. Working arbitrarily means that we do what we want. That means the reason why we work is based on our will, not external factors. Therefore, the opposite means that we work regardless of our will. Of course, you can feel contentment well even if you do not work in an arbitrary way. However, the degree of satisfaction will not be as good as the previous measure which include our will.
By the way, we mostly work by our external situation. The typical case is a comparison to others. The comparison to others is encouraging us not to follow arbitrary way because the feeling that we don't want to fall behind is to make us feel jealous and inferiority, which is originated from outside, not inside ourselves.
It does not mean that it is wrong to work in autonomous ways. For our welfare, however, it means that arbitrary labor is better. What is much happier than doing what you want? In other words, it is necessary to involve voluntary participation in order to be happy beyond mere gratification. "Happiness is not what others give, it is what I feel." (William Shakespeare)
Hi. IM Taehun Kim. I really enjoyed reading your essay. Thanks for sharing it!
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