[jakelazaroff]

Things get done when people are motivated to do them — either extrinsically ("I need money to not starve") or intrinsically ("I want my toilet to work").

Maybe I misunderstood you, but you seem to be talking about "work ethic" in the abstract, though — like, valuing the labor itself, rather than the fruits of it. My question is, why is that important? Who cares about labor for its own sake?