working is something everyone pretty much takes for granted. but recently i’ve started cogitating on it, especially in terms of what it is that motivates me to work.

i started back when i was in my second year at unc because i was bored, frustrated that i had no responsibility when it came to classes and assignments. voluntarily choosing to work for a few hours a week was the yang to school’s yin. it gave me an alternative to studying and homework. but it was also a step towards independence and greater freedom from financial obligation to my parents.

earning money doing things what were either easy for me or fun seemed almost a travesty. seemed like stealing. but having a little bit of no-strings attached money was nice. increased my freedom in our commercial society.

but if the reason i worked in the past was school-avoidance, and now school–all six years of it–is over, then i wonder, “why do i work?”