If men lived in diving-bells under water, and had to provide themselves with air by means of a pump, this would be a great source of employment. To throw obstacles in the way of such employment, as long as men were left in this condition, would be to inflict upon them a frightful injury. But if the Labor ceases because the necessity for its exertion no longer exists, because men are placed in a medium where air is introduced into their lungs without effort, then the loss of that Labor is not to be regretted, except in the eyes of men who obstinately persist in appreciating in Labor nothing but Labor in the abstract.This is a simple point from Bastiat (Domination by Labor, from The Bastiat Collection, pp. 427-428). At the same time, it is both neglected and understated, even rejected.
We can keep it simple: Labour is not wealth. Wealth is stuff and services, bought with the fruits of labour. The less labour we need to finance the stuff and services we want or need, the better. Should all our needs fall from the sky and render labour unnecessary, we would become better off.
