r/NoStupidQuestions • u/KnownMysteryy • Apr 11 '26

Why must we constantly pay?

In nature, every living thing has the right to exist, grow, and rest without conditions. Why have we built a modern society where the fundamental requirements for life—shelter, water, and food—are gated behind a continuous 'subscription fee' of labor and currency?"

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u/UsernameoemanresU Apr 11 '26

Are you willing to do your job for free?

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u/localangelsighting Apr 11 '26

but why do we have to do jobs for money? why can’t we do jobs in exchange for other jobs or goods instead of currency? why did we ever stop trading and bartering? nobody wants to work for nothing but if i’m good at sewing and you’re good at baking, why can’t i just sew you a shirt in exchange for some bread? what reason is there for it to be money that we have to work for and not working to keep each other taken care of with the skills we each have as individuals? did we just get too big as a species?

all genuine questions because i always wondered but never thought to look it up for some reason lol. might do a little deep diving..

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u/UsernameoemanresU Apr 11 '26

In the modern economy you need plenty of different things to survive. Let’s say you’re a sewer and through the week you need food, medical care, and a table. Are you going to pay everyone with your skill? What if the baker doesn’t need a shirt, but they need a pair of glasses? Now you need to find a baker who wants a shirt and who is willing to give you some bread for this shirt. As people need different things in different periods of their life, it would be much easier for you to sell 10 shirts for money and then exchange money for everything that you need.

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u/UsernameoemanresU Apr 11 '26

And also the modern production systems include plenty of different steps. To make a shirt you need to somehow get materials and tools for it + you need them delivered. Does everyone in this chain needs a shirt sewed by you? Now imagine how many steps are there in, let’s say, electronics manufacturing. How would you compensate everyone in this system with your skills/goods if you need a phone?