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justlookingforajob1 t1_j684za0 wrote

Nearly everything a wild animal has or gets is because they went and got it themselves or with the help of a few others. Most are naked and homeless. They are vulnerable to the elements, to predators, and to disease. Most have a very short lifespan. On Maslow's hierarchy of needs, they live at the bottom - survive and reproduce.

Humans have found ways to improve our lot in life and meet our needs for additional development. Some might say because we've evolved to do more with our minds and bodies and time, some might say it's because we are God's children and not animals and have a different destiny for life. Either way, we thrive because we divide up labor and help one another. This division of labor means that I can focus on one thing - producing food, or building shelter, or producing clothing or organizing excel sheets, etc. While others produce one thing, and then in this amazingly complex way we trade what we all do with one another, and we use money to make that happen.

So I organize excel sheets all day because I get money to do that and I trade that money with others who produce food and clothing and gasoline and electricity - so I don't have to.

In aggregate, we work less than animals do and we get more in return for our labor.

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