Quoting from @BitOfFun:
"One thing I will say that gets on my nerves is the near-universal claim of high earners that they work bloody hard for it. While I'm sure this is true, hard work does not necessarily correspond with high incomes. I am currently being cared for in a hospice by some incredibly hardworking staff, many of whom 'take work home', are involved in complex planning processes, often have several professional qualifications etc etc.
None of them will be earning anything like £100k+, but I can assure you that they too work bloody hard."
I'm sorry to hear you're in a hospice OP; I hope you're as comfortable as possible.
I absolutely agree with everything you have written in the quoted passage. As mentioned somewhere upthread (gosh, it's long now isn't it?), I am a barrister on a high income. I have at times worked 6 day 80 hour weeks, as someone else said above. I also came from a comprehensive school background, first in the family to go to university, no family background in my career. But that doesn't somehow make me more deserving than people also working extremely hard, in much more emotionally challenging roles, who earn a fraction of what I do. I was lucky to be born clever; lucky to be good at passing exams; lucky to be reasonably personable; lucky to have an excellent memory. I'm not saying I didn't have to make the most of all of those things to get where I am today, but that doesn't stop me putting most of what has happened to me down to luck.
I studied with people who went into different areas of law. In particular, my friends who became criminal lawyers are now working much harder than I do, with a terrible work life balance, for much less money. I think their job is both harder and more important than mine.
Whilst my job is still unpredictable and sometimes I do have to put in a succession of evenings/weekends and late nights, I am self-employed and have the luxury of being able to work from home when not in court (not just during the pandemic), book time out for holidays and family events at my convenience, at least to some extent, and drop my kids off and pick them up from school reasonably often. When the schools were closed, I was able to work 2.5 days in normal working hours and make time up in the evenings and at weekends so my husband and I could share the childcare. I am very fortunate to have that level of flexibility and to be able to earn very well indeed. I don't feel I "deserve" my income at all, but I am very appreciative of it.