If everyone worked around 25 hours instead of 40+ a week, would the world end? Could we still ensure everyone's basic needs are met? Keeping the same jobs but working less hours (and consuming less, cutting out useless stuff, no fashion hauls, just a few new items of clothing a year etc.)
People could choose to work 80 hour weeks if they loved their job.
I'm not lazy. I will work 80 hours in a week if it's something that I see purpose in. But most “jobs” we have today are pointless, just to push more and more consumption of useless stuff.
EDIT: In my opinion: If community gardening became more common, and if more people just realised how accumulating endless new shiny stuff isn’t actually satisfying, that’s a step in the right direction.
I know someone who has 10 siblings. As kids they lived on a small farm and with just 1 of her brothers doing most of the gardening and farming (while he also had time to work in a restaurant) they were able to mostly feed themselves.
They had chickens and eggs and grew potatoes, tomatoes, onions, carrots, pumpkins, marrows, sweet figs, and peaches, watermelon and grapes in summer. They did buy some meat, bread, bananas, apples and pasta. But mostly they were able to feed themselves.
Just ONE person was able to grow all that for 12+ people and then sell the extra vegetables.
I know it depends on climate. But it really is doable.
They had TV, radio, government-subsidised education (though only until around 15 years of age). They didn’t have a lot of clothes or toys – those are the two things she missed. They struggled in that sense. But she says they were so healthy and happy.
We don’t need to completely uproot everything.
We just need to combine what was good about how people lived back then and the tech we have today.