I was talking to someone about how much I hate my job (as I do), and they said something along the lines of “I don’t like my job but I’d be so bored and unoccupied without it”. I’ve also heard people say that having a job is important, because otherwise you’d just be sitting around all day doing nothing.
There’s something really wrong when people have this worldview so ingrained into them. In a way it makes sense- when everyone’s working all the time, all other forms of human interaction sort of just decay. But the solution should be to fix that and fundamentally change things, not just accept the status quo.
The few periods where I’ve been able to be unemployed have been when I have been most fulfilled- I could spend my time reading philosophy, making music, attending various events, enjoying nature- and, when they weren’t at work, hanging out with friends and family. I hope for a time when that is something that is more imaginable to more people- and actually practically achievable for everyone.
As a side note, one of the worst things about work, for me, is how much it drains my ability to do things even in the time I have away from work. I could technically spend my evenings doing some stuff that I find fulfilling, but I’m too tired- and anxious- to do so.
Anyway, the point is, we, as a whole society, and not just as individuals, need to throw away the whole way that employment operates. Somehow.