It seems there is a pretend work trend in China.
“Many citizens who don’t want to explain their employment status pay to rent a position in a fake office, with some even assigning fictitious tasks and organizing supervisory rounds.”
Why?
Because work is meaningful. For some, it’s identity. For others, it’s purpose. And others, it’s just what needs to be done.
Work, by the way, doesn’t need to be “professional.” It’s application. Utility. Creativity. Expense of energy for some purpose.
But in any case, it’s meaningful.
Having “work” to do — or appearing to — communicates value. We want to feel valuable.
We can talk about systems, institutions, and governments and how each of these has contributed to and sustains “where we are in human history,” but none of these exist without basic human ambition.
The Smart People don’t give enough credit to the human spirit. To ambition.
Humans want to matter. They want to contribute, to be seen, to be relevant. They want to work.
Not everyone. But enough.
The danger isn’t fake work. It’s systems that don’t make space for human ambition. It’s when bureaucracy, risk-aversion, and status produce work that feels just as fake but pays better.
Is our system perfect? Heck, no.
The good news is that if we continue to work on the systems, we can build work that matters. Work that welcomes people. Work that sees potential and encourages contribution.
Because the future of work isn’t pretend.
The human spirit is too ambitious.
