What would you do if Capitalism didn't curb your potential and force you to sell most of your time?

I often daydream about how society would be if we were not forced by society to pigeon hole ourselves into a specialized career for maximizing the profits of capitalists, and sell most of our time for it.

The idea of creating an entire identity for you around your “career” and only specializing in one thing would be ridiculous in another universe. Humans have so much natural potential for breadth, but that is just not compatible with capitalism.

This is evident with how most people develop “hobbies” outside of work, like wood working, gardening, electronics, music, etc. This idea of separating “hobbies” and the thing we do most of our lives (work) is ridiculous.

Here’s how my world could be different if I owned my time and dedicated it to the benefit of my own and my community instead of capitalists:

  • more reading, learning and excusing knowledge with others.
  • learn more handy work, like plumbing and wood working. I love customizing my own home!
  • more gardening
  • participate in the transportation system (picking up shifts to drive a bus for example)
  • become a tour guide for my city
  • cook and bake for my neighbors
  • academic research
  • open source software (and non-software) contributions
  • pick up shifts at a café and make coffee, tea and smoothies for people
  • pick up shifts to clean up public spaces, such as parks or my own neighborhood
  • participate in more than one “professions”. I studied one type of engineering but work in a completely different engineering. This already proves I can do both, so why not do both and others?

Humans do not like the same thing over and over every day. It’s unnatural. But somehow we revolve our whole livelihood around if.

Ataraxia,
@Ataraxia@lemmy.world avatar

I get three days off a week and just got off of a 3 week long vacation and I slept a bunch lol. Played videogames. If I could never work again I’d just relax and enjoy food and entertainment.

ICastFist,
@ICastFist@programming.dev avatar

What would allow that isn’t communism, but a “post-scarcity” society, much like Star Trek TNG. A lot of what we take for granted can only happen thanks to the commercial logistics of fucktons of materials going around.

I’d devote more time into programming, performance optimization, processor architecture and computer graphics. These things are still “magic” to me and there aren’t many resources, especially on the “bare metal” graphics part of most recent parts. Once I figured it out enough to feel confident in passing that knowledge around, I would do that in english and portuguese

One thing that I’m already doing thanks to my job giving me a decent salary for only 20h of work is my own game project. Something that I’ll probably end up selling, but I’ll probably be the first to release a pirate/free version of it, too.

c0mbatbag3l,
@c0mbatbag3l@lemmy.world avatar

Yeah it’s easy to do whatever you want as a job when matter/antimatter reactors give unlimited energy and replicators can use that limitless energy to create any object.

Trollivier,

I would contribute to any activity that would ensure capitalism wouldn’t start existing.

matcha_addict,

It would be pretty difficult to bring back capitalism after its gone. It’s like someone trying to bring back feudalism today, beyond individual interactions.

sturmblast,

I’d be writing a lot more music

AfricanExpansionist,

Great list!

spiderjuzce,

I would write and draw more. There’s so many stories I wanna make. I might even take up some other medium like animation or something physical like sculpture or architecture. It would be fun to design spaces that don’t need to have the soul sucked out of them to appear “mature” or “professional”

I feel like the fear of not making profits and not surviving pressures me into watering down everything I do so it’s appealing to someone else. That’s why art is strictly a hobby for me and not a career I wanna pursue

ForgetPrimacy,

Part of what creates in me so much faith in communism is my profession vs my interests.

I am an engineer. If I didn’t need to sell my labor I would be an engineer who solves problems and creates progress. Since I live in America, I don’t.

matcha_addict,

It’s not much better in most places outside of America. Capitalism rules the world.

wildeaboutoskar,
@wildeaboutoskar@beehaw.org avatar

I would do loads of degrees. History, English, Psychology, Politics, Spanish, etc. Having the brain space to focus on learning would be amazing. I did my masters part time while working full time and it was a nightmare. Glad I did it but I couldn’t do my best as I was bogged down in work stuff.

I would also like to learn more languages. I do a bit of Spanish and Danish when I can but I rarely have the mental energy after work.

Travel too. Maybe write a book.

Plibbert,

Imma be honest I have no idea. I might legit just sit here and be a leech on society playing video games and watching shows. But I’d like to imagine I would go back to school and try and do freelance repair/maintenance for various things. I just honestly don’t know if I’d do enough to consider it a fair contribution to society.

reverendsteveii,

Im fortunate. I love my career. I’ve been doing since I was 12 what I do for a living now at 39. I’d still do what I do if income were a non-issue.

With that being said, I’d probably only do it three days/week or so, being able to pick a more realistic balance between productivity and burnout would be great. I’d also spend that time making something I want, for me, rather than doing what I’m told. I feel like that’s significant here as well.

sexual_tomato,

I’d still be a programmer. I’d work on open source projects 100% of the time. It’s something I love to do.

Man’s got to eat though. I still work in an area that makes the world slightly less shitty though, so it’s not all bad.

luke,

Jesus Christ this post sucks

hoodatninja,
@hoodatninja@kbin.social avatar

If only we had a voting system to express whether we thought a post meaningfully contributed or not!

luke, (edited )

deleted_by_author

    •
    hoodatninja,
    @hoodatninja@kbin.social avatar

    If this community/instance bothers you so much there’s nothing stopping you from blocking it and subscribing to another one.

    matcha_addict,

    I’m sorry that a harmless question on askLemmy bothers you so much :(

    nicktron,
    @nicktron@kbin.social avatar

    luke's poor feefees. :(

    sculd,

    Reading. I have lots of books I want to read but not enough time / energy to do so.

    nxdefiant,

    I’d be that guy that makes all those useless inventions, except they’d be incredibly useful to me and like 2 other people.

    matcha_addict,

    That’s how many great inventions benefitting the entire world happened :)

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    I would offer people money to work for me.
    And then i would help them optimize their brainspace to be more efficient at helping me.
    I would allow them to use my workshop to create things that benefit the community. Like tools and Labor.
    I would keep watch over the water and electrical lines and repair and service them if needed.
    I would train people to do that for me and pay them.

    matcha_addict,

    In a society oriented to our own interest and the interests of our community, no one would do work for you for money, especially since money would cease to exist.

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    In a society like you described money would be created. First as bartering and then eventually a form of money will start to exist.

    matcha_addict,

    The anthropology on the origins of money have shown that this is false. Money was introduced by force, and barter only occured in societies that previously had money then lost it (so, money-oriented societies). It is a myth that money creates itself. I’d love to refer you to resources if you’re interested on reading further (I have to dig them up from my notes).

    There would not even be a need to create money. If your needs are already met, why would you still engage in exchanging already-abundant resources? Why would I give up my carrots to get your apples, when I can just go and pick some apples from the apple storage or a grocery store?

    KrasMazov,
    @KrasMazov@lemmygrad.ml avatar

    Hey, I would like the reasources you mentioned if it’s not too much hassle for you.

    matcha_addict,

    Below I linked an article that cites a couple of sources on this matter.

    For a more in-depth reading, I’d highly recommend “Debt: The first 5000 years” by David Graeber. He has a ton of sources cited there too.

    Article (12ft.io link to avoid paywall):

    12ft.io/proxy?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theatlantic.com…

    KrasMazov,
    @KrasMazov@lemmygrad.ml avatar

    Thanks a lot, comrade!

    matcha_addict,

    Happy to help!! And great to meet you :)

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    Because i would take all the apples. And the carrots. And if you wanted some you would have to barter with me. If you didn’t, then you would not have all your needs met.
    Because people are not intrinsic good.
    If you fail to take that into account then your idea is flawed.

    matcha_addict,

    You really think an entire society revolved around bettering the human condition wouldn’t have guard rails against some random self destructive idiot going rogue?

    In general though, no one has the motive to do that (except a self destructive idiot, who we’d just put in rehab and hope they get better).

    Also you probably lack the means to take all the apples. The world already produces more than double the amount we consume. I guarantee you have no capacity to take them all.

    I’m sorry, I know you thought that was really smart of you, but it’s not a good look.

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    my neighborhood has multiples of me. we are now a group.
    Yeah sure. We cannot take all the apples out of cincinatti. But i can take all the apples from my town. Especially if i convice other people that are powerhungry like me. Narcisism and sociopathy exist, never forget that.
    And on what grounds would you put me in rehab? Because i did what makes me feel good?
    I take care of all the stuff nobody wants to do.
    I clean the drains, i upkeep all the things you use for leisure.
    People are lazy and would rather barter with me than to overthrow me. If they did, someone would have to wade through the shit all day.

    Kings and Queens did not have a real reason why they should be in power. They created their own reasons and used all their ressources to keep everyone down.

    matcha_addict,

    You surely have the Hollywood infested brain lmao

    And on what grounds would you put me in rehab?

    What about having terroristic aspirations? LOL. Trust me, no society will ever depend on you. You’ll always remain disposable

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    Yah, totally infested. So unresonable to think that history repeats itself and your imaginary utopia has flaws.

    matcha_addict,

    I don’t think you understand that no member of society will take it kindly to see someone trying to destroy their society. It is terrorism and they will stop you no matter what. No one looks at a random hauling a grocery stores worth of apples and thinks that’s okay.

    They want barter you for it. They’ll take it by force if necessary.

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    member of society will take it kindly to see someone trying to destroy their society

    Uhuh… When are we going to see these riots? The US has the 2nd amendment and no guns are being raised against tyrants…

    How do you explain republicans? People who write loveletters to mass murderers?

    matcha_addict,

    You are asking why people aren’t changing a status quo. That’s different from changing a status quo to a much worse one.

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    Do you think I will be the only bad apple? Do you have any idea how much crime we have that is not for the purpose of meeting someone’s needs?
    Are you still in school?
    The idea of utopias like you described always falls apart at the human aspect.
    There is no way to just numb everyone’s brains to the point that we eliminate jealousy, envy and judt general “societal bads”. What do you do with the huge amount of religious zealots that claim apples for their religion? People who are judt power hungry? Drug addicts? Alt-rights? People who want money?
    Politicians? Anarchists?
    I am not the only group that wants all the apple. As soon as i take some apples for me someone else will become jealous and retaliate and satisfy their felt unfairness by taking even more. Are we just gonna kill or put half of the population in rehab?

    matcha_addict,

    You assume that the system will have no self resistance. Every system does, except this one will be protecting society’s interests as a whole rather than a ruling class. Everything you said still applies today, and we handle it perfectly (and its not because society is oriented around capital).

    nicktron,
    @nicktron@kbin.social avatar

    You don't have trillions of dollars worth of weapons to use on us, so you're much more likely to be "taken out" than the current government.

    Nobsi,
    @Nobsi@feddit.de avatar

    Who says I don’t? I already took all the apples.

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