What Does it Mean to Earn Something?

[The Sum of Awe]

I personally believe we should earn our own things, not just have them. Such as love, money, jobs, respect, importance, trust, etc.

But recently, by the looks of it, it seems what is mainstream is just handing them out or sharing them.

Can sharing and earning coexist in the same world?

 

[InfidelRiot]

Yes, everything needs to be earned. Giving it freely can end in disaster. Therefore, sharing and earning is not an impossible, but difficult, humanist goal to attain.

I am not as hung up on the same socialism in which everyone else seems to revel, however. I do not seek to earn anything from anyone. Rather, I believe that others have to prove to me that they deserve my respect. It is also why I will either not answer or honestly answer with "horribly" when asked how I am doing. The other person, a veritable stranger, does not really care how I am doing. It is merely a social standard question, and one which I abhor.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Yes, everything needs to be earned. Giving it freely can end in disaster. Therefore, sharing and earning is not an impossible, but difficult, humanist goal to attain.

I am not as hung up on the same socialism in which everyone else seems to revel, however. I do not seek to earn anything from anyone. Rather, I believe that others have to prove to me that they deserve my respect. It is also why I will either not answer or honestly answer with "horribly" when asked how I am doing. The other person, a veritable stranger, does not really care how I am doing. It is merely a social standard question, and one which I abhor.

Reminds me of a quote at work:

"How are you doing? Really, not answer required. - The Great Pretender"

 

[Sunstone]

Earning something is sometimes a cultural concept. A Native American, for instance, might not believe that land can be earned. But an American of European decent thinks land can be earned.

Again, earning something can be an individual opinion. For instance, some people think love can be earned. That is, they think they can deserve to be loved. Others think that love is a gift and cannot be earned.

 

[Alex_G]

When we talk frankly about what we take credit for in this world, hard work and things earned being among them, we could find ourselves realising that we no more 'own' those things we earn than those things that seem to occur by accident. To what degree is a person to be congratulated for having the great fortune of intelligence and strong ambition over another? Should the less ambitious or successful be looked down upon for simple luck of the draw? Perhaps we imagine far more control over the circumstances of our life and existence than there actually exists. To what degree is all this moral praise and blame just part of the ego sanctioned illusion that is the parade of life, the stage-production in which we are all actors? Maybe by dropping out of character for a moment and turning around, we’ll see all the backstage orchestration, and with some luck humble ourselves into leading better lives.

 

[jasonwill2]

To earn something is a useless concept that only means that no one questions what you have taken or been given.

If I trick someone into giving me money out of pity, have I not earned it? If I steal under the nose of my enemy and they do not detect me, have I not earned it? If I do something with the understanding that they will give me something in return, have I not earned it?

To earn something is to mean no one questions your ownership of something. If someone does, you cannot be said to own it when their are challenges. You must therefore destroy these challenges to secure your "right" of ownership.

 

[Orias]

To earn something is to be able to rightfully defend it.

 

[jasonwill2]

To earn something is to be able to rightfully defend it.

That's what I just said >.<

 

[Orias]

Well I said it simply-er!

 

[Kerr]

I personally believe we should earn our own things, not just have them. Such as love, money, jobs, respect, importance, trust, etc.

But recently, by the looks of it, it seems what is mainstream is just handing them out or sharing them.

Can sharing and earning coexist in the same world?

I think they can. I mean, sometimes we give people we care about gifts. That doesnt mean we have to do it all the time. We can just do it when its fitting. And sometime we give money to something we believe in. Nothing wrong with that either. But that doesnt mean people should be given their house or their money. There is a difference between being given a gift sometimes and relying on being given gifts, I guess.

 

[AdityaMookerjee]

I personally believe we should earn our own things, not just have them. Such as love, money, jobs, respect, importance, trust, etc.

But recently, by the looks of it, it seems what is mainstream is just handing them out or sharing them.

Can sharing and earning coexist in the same world?

Have you asked yourself about the value of your earnings, and if not?

 

[Me Myself]

"earning" is absolutely subjective.

I am kind of surprised you didn´t see this Sum.

You cannot objectively earn anything, and given that it is subjective, then you ca decide that you earn X or Y because of whatever reason you like.

So earning stuff means whatever you want it to mean.

 

[AdityaMookerjee]

"earning" is absolutely subjective.

I am kind of surprised you didn´t see this Sum.

You cannot objectively earn anything, and given that it is subjective, then you ca decide that you earn X or Y because of whatever reason you like.

So earning stuff means whatever you want it to mean.

What if you felt you didn't? Would you want to? It's not like no one earns. It appears that when a person wants to earn well, he doesn't have an idea about the amount, and earns more or less. Not in a fixed salary, but he does spend in ways, that he is not comfortable with today.

 

[NIX]

Babies and young children earn nothing. If sharing did not coexist with earning in 'our world', our species would completely die out in the span of a hundred years.

 

[NIX]

To society at large "earning" boils down to 'paying your dues'.
(or 'doing your time' )

Other people 'get lucky' , 'beat the system', or gain the favor of the masses.

In many cases it's (even a complex) combination of all or most of the above.

 

[Penumbra]

I personally believe we should earn our own things, not just have them. Such as love, money, jobs, respect, importance, trust, etc.

But recently, by the looks of it, it seems what is mainstream is just handing them out or sharing them.

Can sharing and earning coexist in the same world?

I would say that maintaining the illusion of 'earning' for adults is useful in a marketplace.

But earning is subjective, and a huge amount of sharing has to be done to a human before they can ever become an adult properly.