Why do we have to PAY others just to LIVE?

Question

This absolute insanity. We’re given this beautiful planet with all the resources that are needed for our survival, and we’re told that we have to pay to have food, pay money to have water, pay money to have housing. Why is our society set up like this? Human beings are slaves

WindAtMyBack · Accepted Answer

You are trading your labor for someone else's labor. You expect them to work for free? Nothing is free, it's not possible.

Yes we have all kinds of resources, but somebody has to gather, grow or make those resources. You could do it all yourself, but it's a heck of a lot more work that way. It's much easier and more efficient to have people specialize in certain things, then trade with each other. Even in barter economies (which I've lived in before) it works that way. People specialize and trade, just like they do in a money based economy.

Unless you live in some limited areas on the planet, it also allows you to eat in the winter instead of starving. It means people somewhere in the world can grow food year around, then ship it someplace else. Without that ability, the vast majority of people on the planet would starve to death.

Paul_in_Indy · Accepted Answer

OK. Don’t pay. You can gather your own food, dig your own well, pipe the water to a house you build yourself out of materials you produce. You really can do that.

But I’ll tell you what you can’t do: You can’t do those things for other people and still have time to fulfill all your own needs. You can’t dig wells and pipe water into other people’s houses without trading for something that you need. That lets you meet your needs in a collaborative fashion.

So, you can do everything for yourself. …or you can trade with someone to do some of it for you.

There’s no mystery to that.

LazerBean · Accepted Answer

You actually don't have to pay others just to live. We only pay others to grow our food for us and maintain our water pipes for us. You can go off grid and provide your own food and water. Most people just aren't into that.

laly520 · Accepted Answer

u have the option to have it all for free just leave the society n community u r in n head towards the forest, gather n hunt

NaultD · Answer

There's trade offs. Caveman days you are ancient to live to 40 and basically any mistake would more then likely kill you. So you can only grow to the point of certainty. To me that is no different form of slavery to the elements.

Today we can push beyond the stars. With enough breathing room to even bitch and argue about how we get there. It's not perfect but we still have the power to change it for the better.

normalice · Answer

Because conservatives need to feel like they are worth something. Keeping all the food under lock and key and forcing others to pay if they want any is how they get us to treat them like they are valuable.

boggboss · Answer

Because u choose to live within society u can always go off the grid and fend for yourself if that's whatvu choose

Redstang88 · Answer

Lazerbean nailed it. We’re not paying for the resources, we’re paying someone else to go get it for us.  Thats what society is, I’m not working for free, would you?

ProbablyClueless · Answer

those people put work into making sure we have what we need. They deserve to be compensated for that time and effort.

exitseven · Answer

There are plenty of people that live off the grid. I don;t think it would be as much fun as you think it would be.

Staximus · Answer

The way tribes lived before Europeans ruined the world was great

Astarlessnightsky · Answer

Short answer capitalism.

Anonymous · Answer

So they can vote for Biden.

gorydetails · Answer

You can barter. No one's forcing you to use cash.

Anonymous · Answer

Because we're all corrupted by. the system

Why do we have to PAY others just to LIVE?

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