livelihood

I didn't want to know this much economics. I didn't want to learn the terms, the ratios, the graphs, the constantly changing numbers. I didn't want to have to think about how to preserve the little I earn. I didn't want to calculate where it stands, what it turns into, or how long it takes to melt away.

Human beings are actually searching for a normal life. They want to think about what they can experience with the money they earn, not just what they can buy. It is possible to drink two coffees with that same money, or eat a single hamburger. To buy a vacuum cleaner, or just a pen. The issue isn't what the money is enough for; it's how long it took to earn it and how much one was crushed in the process.

The real problem begins exactly there. Because in this country, aside from a tiny minority, everyone is just trying to make ends meet. For most people, the issue isn't becoming rich; it’s staying afloat. Despite this, certain professions never find their true value, no matter how much effort is poured into them. Jobs that fewer people are capable of doing can end up earning less than those that many more can perform.

The problem here is not individual choices. It is the distribution. What we call "making a living" is no longer a balance, but a perpetually slippery slope.