Why do you work?
We deserve a joyful future
What if the world didn’t have to be the way it is?
What if we eliminated wage slavery, the essential root of capitalism that demands that people without capital have to earn their living?
What if we effectively valued care work, both for our children and our elders?
What if we created economies of solidarity rather than extraction that allowed everyone on planet Earth to have a meaningful and joyful life?
I’ve spent the last 15 years working for people and organizations who don’t care about me as a human.
They value me as a resource, someone who GSD and makes things happen.
They value that I know how to do stuff, so they don’t have to.
But they don’t actually value who I am, what I stand for, or my potential to change the world.
Mentors and friends have always warned me that employers will never care about you.
But what if that’s a story we decided was true, one that doesn’t have to be?
Traditional capitalist structures have led to vast inequalities, environmental destruction, and social unrest. What if we could instead imagine and implement economic models that prioritize the wellbeing of people and the planet instead of profit? Imagine an economy centered in sustainability, equity, and community development, driven by well-managed circular supply chains, cooperative businesses, and nurturing care structures. It’s possible. But only if each of us decides to do something different, to change how we think about and engage with employment, money, and the very idea of “work.”
We take for granted that everyone has to work — whether its to “earn a living,” to “make ends meet” or to “save for a rainy day.” So many of us give the best hours — days, months, years — of our lives away in efforts that don’t amount to anything other than a few dollars and cents. And why? For what?
What would you do tomorrow if you didn’t care about getting paid?
Close your eyes and ask yourself that question. Really think about it.
Then, ask yourself, why? Then ask yourself: why not?
Love this! I've felt this personally. The structures we've built don't track the value we can actually provide in the future, it's all based on what we've done in the past. They limit our future.