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I read an interesting article called Making a Living (The history of what we call work) which is a discussion of a book called Work: A Deep History. From the Stone Age to the Age of Robots, by South African anthropologist James Suzman.
It was particularly interesting because it delves into Keynesian economics and discusses the transition of human societies from hunter-gatherers to agrarian and then industrial, finally dealing with current day issues of automation, the growing disparity between well-paid and poorly-paid jobs, wealth inequality, environmental issues and the need for perpetual economic growth.
TL;DR: We have been conditioned to confuse wants and needs, keeping up with the Joneses is the source of many of our problems, and we'd do well to work a bit less and party a bit more.
They say that no one ever says they wished they worked more/harder on their death bed. I'm not so sure. I can see myself on mine wishing I'd achieved more. I don't necessarily mean the acquisition of material possessions, and I don't mean ticking off a bucket list, I just mean doing cool new stuff, learning, discovering and so on.
Don't get me wrong, I do value many material possessions. I value being warm and dry with somewhere safe to sleep, to have plenty of food and to have my medical needs met. I value having cool stuff to do things with. I'm sitting in a room just now with 10 computers of my own (11 if you count my old ZX-81). We have two good cars, which are very useful and a pleasure to drive. I wish I had a bigger brain so I could do more cool stuff...
What I got from that article was that there are a lot of people in the world who need to work to be fulfilled. That doesn't mean working themselves into poor health or an early grave and it doesn't mean working in order to acquire enormous amounts of material wealth but to achieve things, to do meaningful things, to discover new things, to heal the sick and so on.
We need Star Trek now more than ever. We need to redirect more of this effort and more of these resources to science and exploration. We'll all benefit, including materially, but most of all we'll become more fulfilled. Let's not suffocate ourselves on this rock in the pursuit of social status.
By the way, I spent the last two weekends planting trees, scattering seeds and planting saplings. I planted over 100 saplings (lodge pole pine, silver birch, sitka spruce). I've scattered thousands of seeds (rowan, juniper, larch). I have some oak and chestnut saplings from last autumn's seeds that need to be transplanted soon too. They'll need protectors to stop the deer eating them (again).
Next year, after the site has been cleared, I'm going to buy a few hundred saplings of other species to plant.
(Score: 4, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday October 17 2021, @11:35PM (13 children)
We have scarcity because right wingers like you desperately want the scarcity to exist. Your only objective is to exploit the working class as much as possible. To use the OP's analogy, you right wingers are the Ferengi.
Just like the Ferengi, you're not interested in scientific and technological progress that would raise the quality of life, reduce scarcity, and improve environmental conditions. Instead, you defend rent-seeking parasites who actively oppose scientific and technological advancements. A fine example is the fossil fuel industry, which should become obsolete as new technology develops and matures. Instead of allowing scientific progress to proceed, the fossil fuel industry engages in misinformation to protect a dying business model and oppose newer and better technologies.
We need less right wing rent-seeking parasites. We need to move past the lie that people are poor because they haven't worked hard enough, when the wealthiest members of our society tend to either inherit their wealth or build it through the exploitation of others. Left to your own devices, right wing psychopaths like you will cut corners with things like safety in factories, all the while demanding workers put in more labor for less pay. You right wingers are sick individuals, happy to let others languish in scarcity and work in dangerous conditions, all so you can line your pockets with more money.
There's a reason that Starfleet officers are warned about the Ferengi when they're at the Academy.
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18 2021, @12:29AM
Surprise: progress in surveillance, propaganda, and censorship tech does not raise the quality of life of commoners.
Lefties fighting tooth and nail to destroy what material technology we still have, while giving off silly mouth noises about "progress", are puke-inducing.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday October 18 2021, @02:55AM (11 children)
That's a cute fairy tale. But we live in the real world. The problems are that the Ferengi just like everyone else are deeply interested in scientific and technological progress. They just have emphases that you disagree with. And what rent-seeking parasites am I defending again? Certainly not the businesses selling subsidized renewable power systems, right? As to the new and maturing technologies that are failing to replace fossil fuels? They need to mature longer. No need to blame fantasy conspiracies when the explanation is staring you in the face.
So what? Lots of people demand stuff. We don't care unless it's something we agree with.
What's ignored throughout this clueless diatribe is that scarcity rules here. It's not Ferengi holding you back, it's finite resources and time. Fix that first.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18 2021, @03:28AM (10 children)
The scarcity is artificial. It exists because the wealthy hoard far more than they need or could ever hope to use. It's even worse because the wealthy often contribute little to nothing of value, rarely actually earning their wealth. But you'll conveniently ignore that and repeat some more right wing propaganda to me.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday October 18 2021, @03:57AM (9 children)
Then where's the evidence?
There's three problems here. First, the wealthy typically don't hoard, they invest. That's a very different thing. Second, that you have a greatly exaggerated idea of what the wealthy "hoard". The non-wealthy could hoard a lot too, if they choose to save rather than spend. Because they don't so save, the wealth of the wealthy just isn't going to go far with them. They'll get it, spend it, and be back to their present state. Third, I bet those wealthy have a far different opinion of what they need or can do with that wealth. My take is that their opinion should matter more than yours does because it's their wealth not yours.
To who? How are we measuring "contributions"?
In other words, a pre-baked excuse not to listen.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18 2021, @06:17PM (8 children)
Wow, gotta love that wall of propaganda. Typical content-free khallow shilling it up for the rich.
"In other words, a pre-baked excuse not to listen."
My my my, khallow sure is getting too fat for his britches. Anyone ever had a productive discussion with him? Or just more "conveniently ignore that and repeat some more right wing propaganda to me?"
Let's see:
- poor people don't save enough
- wealthy aren't hoarding, they're INVESTING
- wealthy people are BETTER
Yup, covered the standard rightwing asshole points there. THAAAAAAAANKS PAL!
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18 2021, @07:39PM
What's I'm not seeing in this whinefest is an actual counterargument.
So did you have one, or did you just want to snivel about how mean khallow is for not agreeing with you? Because I'm pretty sure that's not getting you laid (although I could be wrong ...)
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday October 18 2021, @07:43PM (6 children)
Sounds like I'm not the reason this discussion is unproductive! But maybe we'll have better luck next time.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday October 18 2021, @08:52PM (5 children)
Haha nice attempt to shift the blame, typical rightwing tactic when people toss out your propaganda. There is no point engaging the bushit rightwingers yoss around, there is a never ending supply they can dredge up. Poor rightwing trolls, such persecuted martyrs /s If only they valued education!
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday October 18 2021, @10:04PM (4 children)
(Score: -1, Flamebait) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 19 2021, @07:24AM (3 children)
You are the antithesis of rational you parasite, go evangelize elsewhere, maybe spitshine Bezos' shoes.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 19 2021, @12:03PM (2 children)
Because?
I've seen this movie before. A noble, brave AC got irrationally put down by the mean ole khallow sometime in the murky, vague past. He can't really put down where it happened. But he knows with absolute certainty that mean ole khallow showed his colors and they were irrational. So no use talking to mean ole khallow because he's just not going to listen ever.
That's why you're talking now as if I'm the only person on the internets. Because I won't listen! And of course, doing so AC to show your bravery and such.
OTOH, I have this theory that you're an anonymous coward for whom 1984-style doublespeak and two minute hating is as close as you'll get to rational discourse. This weak-ass taunting is it - there's nothing more to you.
What's your true colors?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday October 19 2021, @09:15PM (1 child)
Cracks me up you think you are rational. You lurch from assumption to assumption and assume everyone else is wrong. There is no point arguing with a True Believer that ignores facts in favor of propaganda sound bites. No amount of claiming the rational high ground will make it so.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Tuesday October 19 2021, @09:32PM
Speaking of assumptions, we have two here: "True Believer" and "there is no point". I cured [soylentnews.org] a flat Earther a little while back. After the day of that post, "energeian planes" only got mentioned sincerely one more time about a week later.
You just have to know how to talk to them. Now, I grant that I probably don't know how to talk to you yet, but I'm working on it.