No Stupid Questions

What people want in life often comes from what they experienced themselves previously. You mentioned charity. I've put 13 years of my life into being a scouts group leader, organizimg weekly meetups, many events and multiple scout camps a year. I'm very passionate about this, since I've got so much out of being a scout since I was 7, growing up with a community, that was meaningful and not harsh and punishing as school. I wanted tp give these experience back to the next scout generation. And during my time as scout group leader I could grew even more, making my own life better through helping others. Soon I will shift my focus away from the scouts (currently its too much together with work; also I want kids soon).

I'm not saying, that you need to do this. I just wanted to explain where my motivation comes from. I get a sense of fulfilment and I'm proud of what I've done and I'm proud of the kids, that I saw growing up and now being group leaders themselves.

Finding something, that you are passionate about is very important. It doesn't need to include external responsibilities. Taking responsibility for your own self, like putting in hard work to learn a new skill, can be as fulfilling as the above.

Multiple reasons

1. We are living beings driven to reproduce, some more than others obviously.

2. Because that is the cultural plan we are trained to follow. You, like me, probably live in a capitalist society, everything about our existence is for the enrichment of our rulers, so that means the more you and your kids generate, the more there is for our rulers to take from us.

Never let anyone denigrate you as lazy. "Lazy" people are not the ones destroying the planet.

Because people find fulfillment in different things.

Some people are like dogs: they want to be useful & helpful.

Some people are like cats: they want to sleep 16 hours a day & meow loudly at 3am.

Cos you're a lazy bastard, like me.

Nothing wrong with it. Fill your time and life however you want.

If those things don't make you happy then don't do them.

I don't want to be a manager, but did have lots of kids and went to school to get a 'real' job. I think to some extent people just do things because they need to be done - I wanted a house and family so easiest way to get that was to have kids and work. I like to eat good food, having money and a garden is the easiest way to get that. It's certainly not a power trip, as someone lower down implies. More like a form of greed, if you have to look at it in a negative way. I like having a full house.

I have to have a job, which means I have to work. If I have to work, I’d prefer it was challenging and stimulating. That doesn’t mean it’s good, but busy and challenged and better than bored and unstimulated for me personally.

Because they get a touch of Maslows disease

There are a ton of negative comments on here, but i think the reality is: people value different things.

When you have certain values you will sacrifice certain things to practice those values/achieve those goals.

Some people value charity work because helping the community and people makes them feel good--even if it's more work on their plate.

Some people sacrifice their personal lives to achieve a career goal. Sometimes that's for financial reasons, sometimes that's for ego reasons, sometimes it's "meeting a challenge".

Some people will sacrifice their career to have less stress or focus on their family. Some people value their hobbies, relationships, personal interests to the point where they'll pick jobs that let them focus on those things--even if those jobs don't pay as well, even if they aren't "progressing" up the ladder.

And for what it's worth, your values (may) shift over time. I never wanted kids for the longest time. Then I did.

I valued career progression for ego and financial reasons--and now, that's shifted.

I sacrificed spending time with my friends when I had my kid, but now I am putting a lot of effort into those friendships because I value them and that requires work. That means I didn't take a job offer that would have paid more, so I would have time for my family and friends.

I value those things more at this point.

I value my time playing computer games, so I sacrifice my sleep so I can do that. :)

Hello, someone who went to a manager position here! I'm 100% with you, decreasing responsibility means decreasing stress and so is always a priority! However, there are a few reasons one might shoot for the moon anyway.

1. Ambition. This is the obvious one, some people just want more. More money, more power, more prestige. That is a valid reason to push further but isn't for everyone.

2. Empathy. Yep you read that right! Ambition isn't the only driving force to take on more responsibility. Empathy can lead people to see the ways to improve others' lives, workloads, and more!

3. Accidents. Especially with children but also in other areas, accidents happen and can often leave people with more on their shoulders than expected.

I personally am mostly number 2. I saw the terrible leadership that my team has had in the past and the ways I could assist my team to improve. I knew all the complaints and had ideas to fix them so I took the responsibility bullet so they don't have to.

I hope this helps you see into the mind of someone who accepts responsibility, even if it means more stress and less freedom!

@humbletightband essentially it's because more responsibility leads to more power.

Specifically, people are interested in having more power over outcomes eg avoiding hunger, discomfort, loneliness etc.

Edit: I don't mean this in a bad or selfish way, though reading back over it I can see how it could come across like that. I'm talking about having more agency and control over aspects of life for yourself and others.

That includes, say, helping with humanitarian causes.