> One of the biggest views I see in my parents and grandparents: work provides purpose and dignity, and without work, you have no purpose, and therefore, you are a failure.
Well, it is certainly good to do something good for society. But it doesn't necessarily have to be paid. Plenty of volunteer work might give more purpose and dignity than some of the more meaningless and tedious jobs.
But it turns out that, according to Dutch law, it's sometimes possible to be banned from doing specific kinds of volunteer work if you're unemployed. If it's something that could be a paid position, you're not allowed to do it for free in you receive unemployment benefits. No, you're forced to sit at home and do nothing.
Well, it is certainly good to do something good for society. But it doesn't necessarily have to be paid. Plenty of volunteer work might give more purpose and dignity than some of the more meaningless and tedious jobs.
But it turns out that, according to Dutch law, it's sometimes possible to be banned from doing specific kinds of volunteer work if you're unemployed. If it's something that could be a paid position, you're not allowed to do it for free in you receive unemployment benefits. No, you're forced to sit at home and do nothing.