# The Good Society By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2023-11-21 Work is important. Doing something productive provides one with a sense of purpose. But work without leisure is fatiguing. Each generation should define for itself how “the good society” is to be structured. Being able to think and enjoy life is important. This is different from being able to take a short vacation once a year. Anybody who has ever taken a vacation can attest that while they are potentially fun and memorable, they don’t tend to be restful or conducive to reflective thinking. True leisure is free from hassle. It allows one to contemplate one’s existence and what one wishes to accomplish with one’s finite existence. Currently, people work so much for so little pay that they seldom, if ever, have this type of leisure. This is by design. They have enough time and money to maximize their economic consumption. The following is proposed as a starting point for a redefinition of the good society. Research suggests that money can buy happiness up to about $70,000 annually. If true, that value should be a target within the good society. Within the good society, a person working full-time should earn an income that provides the economic basis for happiness. Another aspect of the good society is how long one needs to work to obtain that income level. To provide sufficient leisure, this proposal asserts that within the good society, one should earn $70,000 from working three days a week or 1,248 hours per year. This means that within the good society, one earns a minimum wage of about $56 per hour. Within this great society, people will start to make radically different choices. Some people will be satisfied with this level of income and leisure and will enjoy life more fully. Others will want to work more and will pursue those activities. Confidence in the government will increase as the rights and protections of workers provided through government policies improve their lives and aren’t designed to protect the privilege of the rich and powerful. Allowing the bottom rung of society to work less and make more will improve our society. This proposal is different from our current model of society, but it is not outlandish. This type of society is well within our means. Solidarity and action can make it manifest. #### Related Items [[Work]] [[Good]] [[Society]] [[Economics]] [[Salary]] [[Vacation]]