Shik, I don't want to come off as dismissing your well thought-out take on this. I really do appreciate it, but re: A) Socialist technocracy? No thanks.
re: B) I value recognition and competency, but if I didn't have to do anything to provide for my lifestyle and family, I think I would do nothing. I'm a project manager. I'm a good project manager. But my growth in this field isn't motivated by passion for it. Although it is driven to some degree for an increase in competency, the underlying reason would be financial compensation. Remove that from the equation and I'm off on a tropical island spearfishing and sitting around campfires for the rest of my life. Now, I'm a pretty responsible, driven person. What about the many, many people who aren't responsible or who don't really care about any particular field enough to excel in it to the point of recognition? I think you overestimate the percentage of people who would actually contribute to such a society.
No worries. You might like what I wrote about said "socialist technocracy" (which, again, is rather incorrect but the best way to explain things without going into 43 pages of socioeconomics) but that doesn't means you have to like the idea.
As for the competency, I think what you're failing to to grasp is that in order to be poor, you would have to remove yourself from the community totally & do absolutely NOTHING. Not even ask someone if they'd like a sandwich. When we say we're doing "nothing" we are in fact often doing something; we just tend to place little or no value on it because it doesn't "pay"...except it often does. Maybe not money, but it can pay in other ways. That, I believe, is the key to things. Again, using myself as an example, I choose not to go beyond a certain level of competency in my paying gig. I go laterally & a little above, but not hugely above. But when I sit down to write, I try to be the best writer I can possibly be, & I am always looking to refine that in any way possible. It doesn't pay, though. So...which is better? Slapping out pizzas for drunks (which pays my rent) or writing things that people enjoy (which doesn't)?