People who say "humans weren't meant to work" have no basic understanding of how a society functions

I want to preface this with: I think that wages should be substantially higher for the average worker than they are now, and that things like healthcare, housing, education, etc. should (and in many cases, are) heavily subsidized by the government. <br><br>That being said, I think everyone should contribute their own labor for the benefit of society, and earn a wage from doing so. Even if someone makes substantially more than they need, they should be working. I don't care if you inherited your wealth. I don't care if you're the child of a rich person, or otherwise privileged. Work and contribute your labor. <br><br>The thing is, there are a HUGE amount of jobs that need to be done by an advanced society in order to function, and if people don't do those jobs we ALL suffer. The reason why everyone but the 1% is struggling so much in the US is that there is not enough money to go around for everyone to live a reasonably comfortable life. That means everyone needs to contribute as much as they can, in order to make the whole system run. The more people who participate in the system, the better it runs. This is why countries like Denmark can provide for basically every social need: extremely high percentage of people participate in the workforce, including people who are substantially wealthy. <br><br>On the flip side, the US has a lower percentage of people participating in the workforce than almost any other country. We are also one of the most "capitalist" countries. And our society functions worse than most other first world countries (which are mostly much less "capitalist" and much more socialist). I think there may be a correlation there.<br><br>There are a LOT of jobs that need to be done. First and foremost is food and water: farming, animal husbandry, food processing and packaging, transportation, retail. Next is medicine: we need huge amounts of healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, CNAs, LPNs, etc). Next is manufacturing: even if we shift entirely to renewable energy and advanced recycling, we need a LOT of people to make the solar panels and wind turbines and recycling plants, and to man the recycling plants and recycling manufacturing facilities. Next is construction: every single person needs a place to live, and the vast vast majority need access to commercial buildings for shopping, other for office space to do their jobs, etc etc etc. Next is a host of miscellaneous services: you need lawyers to create, uphold, and adjudicate laws, accountants and bookkeepers and auditors and tax examiners to track and regulate the creation, flow, and distribution of money, custodial staff to clean everything and maintain the buildings we all live and work in, garbage collection, janitorial services, etc etc etc. <br><br>If everyone contributes a modest amount of work, the system as a whole runs better and there is more to go around for everyone. Frankly, the more people participating, the better the system runs. This is why the first world functions better than the third, and why the US functions worse than most of the rest of the first world. More participation in the workforce means society as a whole can provide more and higher quality services. <br><br>That means that even if you can live comfortably from your inheritance or your trust fund, you have a responsibility to contribute your labor to the system. That means that even if you've worked yourself to immense wealth in a high paying job, you should continue to work. Work doesn't have to be a bad thing; it can be fulfilling to find a job you like, pay your own way in life, and contribute to your fellow humans. Frankly, it can be downright fun. Moreover, it's good for the system as a whole, and the more people participating the better it runs and the more it can provide for the participants. <br><br>Thus, no one should just "coast" through life without trying to contribute their labor to society. And that's just not very controversial, in my opinion.