“We work. To earn the right to work. To earn the right to work. To earn the right to work. To earn the right to work. To earn the right to give. Ourselves the right to buy. Ourselves the right to live. To earn the right to die.”
That is from a song by The Stupendium (which is about the game The Outer Worlds) , and it seems to fit how I feel about work right now. It feels like a cycle of working for others just to be able to afford to continue working for others, with no real end in sight.
There are many things that are either literally or effectively required in order to have a stable income. And in order to afford those, people have to work. So that they can earn money… to afford various things… required to work… so they can ear money… etc.
Jobs require reliable transportation. When public transportation isn't available/accessible, a vehicle is required. In order to drive legally, you must have a license and insurance. You must make payments and pay for upkeep as well (and fines if a light goes out and you get pulled over before you notice it). A decent chunk of your time working is devoted to this.
Jobs are difficult to get without a fixed address. In order to even be allowed to apply for an apartment, you have to make above a certain amount, and must have a certain amount saved up. In order to legally live in an apartment/house (in most areas), you must have all utilities active, at all times.
Jobs require a form of communication so that your employer can reach you. This requires a phone and/or Internet access. Especially now, where workers are expected to be reachable at all times.
If you lack one of these, you're unlikely to be considered hirable by most employers.
And that's without getting into things like clothes or shoes you might be required to purchase for your job. Or the food and water you require to stay alive. Or the healthcare you require in order to stay healthy.
And for each of these you pay for, at least one person is making money off of the profits they made by not fully compensating their workers. Including the work you do. So you're paid less than you should, and things cost more than they should. This makes any attempt at tilting the work/life balance more in your favor that much more difficult.
All of that is made even worse if you're well enough to work, but not well enough to work as much as others, due to physical or mental health issues that aren't considered severe enough for you to qualify for disability, but are severe enough to make working full time more damaging than it already is for most people.
I don't even know how someone would manage to get out of the cycle enough to tip the scales more in their favor. Short of the classic fantasies, like a mysterious benefactor, winning the lottery, or a workplace accident that pays out, what can people even do to improve their situations?