»The economy – especially small industry,
services and art – flourishes on our planet as never before. On the other hand,
everybody only works as long as it’s fun for them. That’s why there is no
over-production that pollutes the environment unnecessarily.«.
– Joytopia
If everybody does what they love, how will that
alter the quality of life? What impact is to be expected on working climate and
productivity? How satisfied will the customers be? Would everything that is
needed be produced at all? And who does the dirty work?
Anyone who has attended a good personality
training course or success seminar knows that you can only be really successful
when you do what you love. All really successful people do what they love. Or
can you imagine a piano virtuoso who does not like music, a top athlete who
hates training, a Steve Jobs who finds the iPhone stupid or a Pope who does not
like praying? Only when you do what you love will you achieve the quality and
productivity that it takes for exceptional performance. When you do what you
love you experience work as pleasure. You are very happy to do more, work
longer and better and achieve better results. You see problems which arise as
welcome challenges to develop yourself and the quality of your work even
further. Naturally you also enjoy being together with colleagues or business
associates and customers; for with them you share the common stage, on which
you are allowed to live out your favourite occupations.
Doesn’t every employer wish for such motivated
employees? And doesn’t every employee wish for such a fantastic boss? Isn’t
every customer happy to have such competent and cooperative suppliers and
business partners?
With unconditional participation the
gradido model gives all people the guarantee that they are allowed to do what
they love. People who no longer know what they love receive valuable support
from a loving community to develop their full potential. As everyone is already
provided for through unconditional participation, they will only take on
additional work that meets the standards set by unconditional participation
regarding working climate, meaningfulness and pleasure. Potential employers and
customers face the challenge of meeting these demands when they make offers and
place orders. Hence, all work on offer has the potential of being loved.
»Yes, but who does the dirty work?« – »Who will
still want to clean?« – »Who will work as a dustman?« – I can hear you asking
such questions now. Let me answer these questions with two stories from my
personal experience.
During my school time a cleaning woman came to
our house once a week – always the same woman over many years. Let’s call her
Ms Miller. On this day of the week – I think it was Thursday – we boys had to
watch our behaviour. We had the greatest respect for Ms Miller and her word was
law. We sometimes found toys we had not cleared away in the dustbin. But that
did not often happen since we knew that everything had to be tidied up before
8.00 on Thursday mornings. We had to get used to that. My parents much appreciated
Ms Miller as in her way she taught their sons to be a bit tidy at least. From
time to time my parents invited her to dinner.
Can you imagine that Ms Miller loved her work?
Every Thursday morning she was the main person in our family, the undisputed
boss. She not only had her work under control but also the two rascals. And she
was highly respected by her employers.
About 25 years later I spoke to a young man in
my neighbourhood. He told me that he had applied for a job as a dustman. The
job was super – in the fresh air all day, no need to think and with good pay.
While his contemporaries were still going to school or training for a job, this
young man already had a good income and could afford things young people dream
of, such as a nice car, a good flat, holiday, etc.
I don’t know if that young man is still a
dustman today. And as chance will have it, a dustcart comes past outside just
as I am writing this. I cannot see any dustmen in the street but only a rubbish
claw controlled by the driver that empties the dustbins into the container
single-handed. Driving such a dustcart seems to be a rather pleasant job. I
would also enjoy doing it from time to time.
What can we learn from this? Firstly, that
opinions as to what kind of work is enjoyable and which not differ from person
to person. What is horrible for one person can be another person’s dream job,
particularly when it is well paid. Besides that, hard jobs are increasingly
done by machines, as in the example of the rubbish claw on the dustcart.
Dirty work or dream job – that is only an
individual point of view. There are people who like doing any kind of task when
they receive sincere appreciation and good pay. That also applies to dangerous
work: there are people who seek adventure and danger and would be bored by a
normal life. Nature provides for everyone and ensures that there are also
people to take on every challenge that presents itself.
Every job will have to meet an important
requirement in order to find someone to do it: the work must be meaningful.
Hardly anyone will put themselves in danger or do something unpleasant if they
see no sense in it. In the Natural Economy of Life earning money is no longer
the main sense and purpose of work. Money is no longer an instrument of
pressure, even less an instrument of power. Money has become one of many
incentives. It can, as before, motivate people to do something they would not
have done without money but it is no longer the sole motivation.
Meaningfulness, working climate, enjoyment, fun, appreciation and thanks are
other motivating factors which must add up. They all have in common that they
enhance the quality of life of all those involved. They thus serve the threefold
good – the good of the individual, the good of the community and the good
of the big scheme of things.
In such a wonderful working climate people
gladly perform well, particularly when they can enjoy their earnings without
any deductions.
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