From the moment we’re born, a subtle program begins to install itself into our consciousness. It’s not malicious, but it is insidious — a quiet mantra whispered into our upbringing, our schooling, our societal roles: You must earn a living. Say it aloud, and you might not even flinch. It’s so normal, so accepted, so woven into the tapestry of our modern existence that we rarely stop to ask, Wait… earn what?
Let’s pause. Take those three words apart: earning a living.
Isn’t it strange — absurd even — that we must earn the right to live? That our mere existence isn’t enough, but must be justified by effort, output, productivity, and performance? That we must do something in order to be granted what is already ours by nature?
A bird does not earn the right to sing at sunrise.
A tree does not file taxes to keep growing towards the sky.
A river does not justify its flow.
And yet, humans — the only species with such complex cognition — have created a system where life itself is something we must pay for. Food, shelter, water, healthcare, time — all fundamental components of life — are placed behind invisible gates, locked with wages, degrees, and hours worked. Somehow, we’ve agreed to this arrangement. Worse, we rarely question it.
We call it “normal.”
But imagine explaining this to a child — not one already conditioned by society, but one fresh, curious, untainted. You’d have to say, “Yes, sweetheart, I know you were born with lungs that breathe air and a heart that beats without effort, but in order to keep doing that — to have a place to sleep, food to eat, and moments of joy — you must labor, sacrifice, and prove your worth every step of the way.” It sounds cruel, doesn’t it?
And yet, we wear it as a badge of honor. “I work hard to earn a living.” We bond over burnout, pride ourselves on long hours, sacrifice our health, time, and passions just to stay afloat — all while the world spins, the sun rises for free, and the earth continues to provide more than enough for all of us… if only we didn’t gate it with made-up systems and scarcity mindsets.
This isn’t to say work is bad. Meaningful work, contribution, creativity, and service — these are beautiful, human things. But work to survive? That’s a prison dressed up as purpose. There’s a vast difference between working to express life and working to earn the right to live it.
We’ve mistaken survival for success.
We’ve glorified struggle.
We’ve turned life into a transaction.
The real question is: what if we stopped chasing the concept of earning life and started experiencing it? What if we returned to the truth that our worth is not tied to our output? That our value is not measured in productivity? That to be alive is already the miracle — and we’ve already earned it just by being here.
So the next time someone says, “I’m just trying to earn a living,” maybe pause for a moment and let the absurdity of that statement sink in. Then smile, because you’ve seen the joke that humanity’s been playing on itself for generations.
And maybe, just maybe, you’ll stop trying so hard to earn life — and start living it instead.