The Joy of Unemployment

Employment is the exchange of your services for money. For salaried workers, it’s an exchange of your time for money, with the assumption that that time will be spent servicing the employer.

While working, your time is not your own. You cannot do what you want to do. The payout is that, when you are not working, you can use your money however you want.

While unemployed, you have time to do what you want. I am here, unemployed, thinking about life and how best to tackle it. I am thinking of what I should do with my life, how to make money to sustain myself when I run out of savings or when I’m traveling or whatever. I can do this because I have the luxury of time. The “lucky employed” do not have this luxury.

With no income I have no means of purchasing material goods. I now realize I don’t need any of that shit. In fact, all my material goods are clutter. They take up space and visually and emotionally disturb me.

I want to get rid of all my material goods. I want to be completely self-contained. I want to move about freely, without worrying about my shit being stolen or damaged, because I have none.

I want to live without needing to buy stuff. I want to live without needing money. Time is far more precious.

What is money really for? Buying stuff you don’t need? The only thing you really need is food. Shelter is everywhere, if you look. You can crash at a friend’s place, you can sleep in the park, you can sleep in an internet cafe.

Entertainment? Please. Who needs TV, music, concerts, gourmet meals when you can live, when you can visit new places, meet new people?

Friends and family? Those cannot be bought with money. Do you need money to sustain your friendships or family ties? If so, why?

This is an unedited thought process regarding the supposed merits of employment.