Suppose that you had a role instead of a job.

You go through school and train for your role and can choose one that suits you, but there is no salary. You don’t get paid, nobody does. Reward comes only from the role.

Instead of a salary all the needs and little luxuries of life are taken care of by a totally new system that doesn’t use capitalism — a bit like the Star Trek universe. All the stuff you need is made in the replicator or gets delivered by folk whose role is to drive trucks.

The only rule is that the free stuff is conditional on you delivering on your role for 24 hours per week in three 8-hour shifts.

Would you do it?

Would you go through the education, learning and apprenticeships to qualify for the role knowing that you would not be paid? You will not need money for all the needs, the good stuff, even the unnecessary stuff, because they are plentiful and free.

I wonder if you would.

Most people feel incomplete without some sort of occupation. At some level all human beings need to feel useful. We actually want to help each other out even when ‘each other’ might be limited to our kin.

A role would fulfil that requirement to be useful.

But is that enough?

Do you really need to get paid?