Do you ever get the feeling that something is wrong with the society of today, except for the usual stuff like starvation, unfair trade balances, ethnic/religious conflicts, climate change, greedy interests of powerful nations etc.? Do you ever ask yourself where we went wrong? Well I’ll tell you.
Most of us spend more than half of our lives (not counting sleep) working more or less meaningless jobs. Don’t get me wrong, almost all of the jobs that exist today fill a purpose, since they are results of our lifestyles. However, many or most of our needs and wants today are invented by commercial enterprises and we are brainwashed into incorporating them as basic needs.
Me, I don’t by into the crap about work being a virtue in itself, no matter what you do. The more affluent human need a job fulfills, the more meaningless it is in a bigger context. I would argue that a baker does a job a 100 times more meaningful than the CEO of Louis Vitton, and a voluntary worker in a NGO does a job a 1000 times more meaningful than the baker. But not many people seem to value their own and other’s jobs based on the purpose it has and what it gives back to society. Personal success and individual value are strongly connected with professional careers, no matter how meaningless a purpose we chose to serve.
So to recap, what’s wrong with today’s society is, we work too much, our jobs are meaningless, and nobody cares about it. About the working too much part, technological evolution is making us more and more efficient, but still we are not working less and less. Even if we could, that would never be the case until employees join forces and claim the right to work less. If we don’t, the increase in efficiency will forever come to gain the corporations and not ourselves. This power shift is of course very hard to achieve as long as the supply of workforce is greater than the demand for it, but still not impossible.
Another thing we could do is to stop consuming so damn much stuff we really don’t need. If the demand for affluent products and services goes down, the supply side would have to follow, and thus, more and more meaningless jobs would disappear from the marketplace. Yeah yeah, like Lennon, of course you can always imagine.. that one day all people will come to their senses and live in harmony with each other and crocodiles and rhinoceros in one great country called Utopia. Of course none of the above solutions are very likely to come about.
And who am I to pass judgment on other people’s jobs and lifestyles? I myself work for a giant IT company in the travel industry. Not too meaningful or altruistic at all. Like Jesus said “May he who is without sin cast the first stone”. Well that might be true in many situations, but on this blog, I’m throwing the damn stones regardless.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Throwing stones
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5 comments:
You knew that from its inception this rant would attract responses, perhaps that was its very purpose. So, as my duty to be the devils advocate im going to attempt to argue about several of the points you made.
In any case, in my own humble opinion I would have to disagree with several of the things you have said. Firstly, I would say that things have changed from the days of the neanderthal. Sure, you dont NEED a comfortable bed, and sure you dont NEED a nice coat, but at the end of the day, you want it, and lets face it, it makes you happy, so who cares?
Marketing is extremely over-rated, its not powerful enough to create demand, it fulfils demand. What I mean by this, is that things exist because people want them for some reason or another.
I believe utopians around the world over-analyse everything. Always looking for a "meaning" and something more to life than just a desk job. However, what if life is that simple? Do we consume too much? Why does it bother you, that it might make someone happy to try an advance in society though honest hard work, to be able to buy things that make him/her happy. Its human nature. When we were cavemen, we wanted the best berries, and the best pussy in the cave, but needs and luxurys evolve.
Another point is you may find is that people are happier at their desks and jobs than you might imagine. Im supposedly going to work for a bank next year, and i had a crisis where i wanted my job to "mean" something, in the context that you gave, unsure whether it would fulfill me or not. when i begun to ask people if they were happy doing what their doing, and all i got was mostly positive answers, i was pretty shocked.
At this point, you might argue two things. Firstly, that people dont know what makes them happy, and theyve been brainwashed. But, i think this would be arrogant of us, after all, who are we to decide whether someone is happy or not. surely they know better than us.
Secondly, that the people i come in contact with are quite possibly the elite of society. But so what, these people, somewhere along the line, whether it was their parents or their grandparents, someone busted their ass so that future generations would enjoy life.
I dont know about you, but that sounds fair enough to me...
FOVC
This deserves a few comments…
Check the trend of people choosing free time instead of a raise/bonus. You might be surprised.
Try to get a position with a charity organization (they won’t have you!).
Agree, whit the devils advocate, generations before us has worked their ass off for us to be as comfortable as we are. However, he apparently does not work in France since his colleagues are happy with their job…. Anyhow, I rather have a job sitting behind a desk than doing heavy labor.
Voila!
-Lina
Dear Devils Advocate,
Yes, I am ranting, but I think I am touching upon critical questions for us in our day and age. We are at the launching point of our careers and our adult lives, and reflecting on whether to go with the flow and do what everyone else does, or try to make a difference for other people than ourselves, is something I think, and hope, that many of us do. Now let me try to hold my ground and retort.
About over consumption, you said that it shouldn’t matter what we chose to spend our money on, as long as it makes us happy. It’s human nature. I agree that we by nature seek comfort and confirmation through accessories and artifacts that make us stand out. But this is an important ethical question. Is it morally defendable to live affluent lifestyles, considering the extreme poverty and starvation that exists today? When every second child that is born is born into poverty, and 25-30 000 children die each day due to starvation and diseases from malnutrition. (UNICEF figures). Can we just shrug that off, thinking; my forefathers busted their asses so that I could enjoy this luxury. I have deserved it, why should I bother? Do you think that generations of people in third world countries sat on their asses and that their offspring is now paying the price for their laziness? How about instead using our good fortune to help others less fortunate?
Now I’m not saying that buying a comfortable bed or a nice jacket bothers me, those things are useful and fulfill our basic needs. This is an important point because I think you interpreted it like I did, maybe rightfully. No what bothers me is the consumption of luxury products. In fact, it’s starting to sicken me. Who needs a fucking handbag for 3000 $, or a 4 storied boat with a helicopter pad. Imagine what the money spent on such things worldwide could achieve if spent on constructive projects in the third world.
Neither does it bother me that people wish to advance in society through honest work. It just bothers me that people don’t value their job based on its purpose, and that people who chose to do good don’t get the respect they deserve. That personal achievement equals advancement of career and not choice of career.
And you say that all products that are marketed are invented because people want them. Yes, agreed, but do people really need them? I think a lot of superficial attitudes and lifestyles are the fault of the hype created by commercials. Our kids are brainwashed into thinking that they need stuff, and respect can be obtained by having the right products and buying the right outfit. To cut short, I am advocating conscious consumption!
Regarding our choice of career, I do believe people can be happy with “just a desk job”. And I do believe some people should not be so happy about what they do for a living. I think that as much as we need to consume with caution, we need to chose who we work for with caution, taking the consequences of our employers’ actions into respect. Finally, I think some people won’t be entirely happy working a “meaningless” desk job, constantly viewing their work dispassionately and with a bit of self-loath. Looking back when they’re old, wishing they had done something more constructive and altruistic with their lives.
Now this is what I am going through right now. You referred to it as a crisis, but what if it’s a calling, clarity, insight. Maybe it will disappear and I can go on with my comfortable life. But what if I find out that doing good, helping suffering people, fighting for a good cause, or against a bad cause, gives me fulfillment that I could never get from “just a desk job”. What if I find a purpose in life that I had never thought of before, a philanthropic vein.. what if?
And who are we to decide whether someone is happy or not? Answer, we can’t. But I think that everyone has the right to encourage human solidarity, even if it means criticizing people’s choices and lifestyles.
I thank you for once again initiating an important and interesting debate,
Adonis
First of all id like to reply to Linas point about unhappy French workers with a somewhat insensitive comment: French people complain and complain, they love the stuff, and you know why? Because the government makes them fear for their jobs 24/7 insisting that they "need" protection when they dont. People dont want to do a crap job knowing their only doing it because they cant get fired. They want to be able to get fired and immediately recieve a call to be hired somewhere else.
Concerning donations to the third world, i agree completely with you, who the hell needs a helipad and a pool on a boat. The truth is the majority of us are not in this situation in any case. In any case my major qualm is that everything is tackled completely the wrong way through ridicoulous marketing campaigns such as "fairtrade" and what not, that the only thing they do is distort competition and encourage innefficiency (if you want to know why, ask me and ill answer as soon as i can). People lose interest and encouragement to donate, when money almost always is recieved is recieved in the form of subsdies which whilst benefitting those that are sub-existing, greatly inconveniences those that are doing ok, but we dont see this because their not shown on tv.
Personal achievement is not defined by either achievement in your career or your choice of the latter. Personal achievement is defined by its user, that why its called "personal". Quite frankly, I have never seen evidence to suggest that Investment Bankers are respected more than those working for an NGO. And another thing I think your forgetting, being an investment banker is one fucking shitty job man. You work 70 hours a week for not that much. Everything is relative; you dont get money working as a volunteer but you get the self satisfaction of knowing your helping everybody else, and most of the time, your having much more fun. Greed comes in many forms. Besides, you cannot say that a huge company owner isnt contributing to society. The money he earns is taxed heavily, and that goes to the the government who uses it to help the poor, not to mention all the indirect jobs created indirectly... Being economically greedy can lead to social rewards even if these are not intentional.
Concerning peoples jobs in life, not all people are made to be famous entrepreneurs. There are some shepherds, but mostly we are sheep. That is our nature, risk-averse and security seeking. It is wrong to assume that everyone wants the same as you.
I agree with your final comment, everything is relative peoples happyness cannot be boxed, and theres is no formula...
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Thanks again for writing this fantastic blog, a place where I feel I learn all the time, and where we can all polish and hone our views and arguments.
FOVC
Lina,
If people are choosing free time instead of bonuses, well that sounds healthy to me. Still I think 9-5, 5 days a week is too much if you're selling shoes or working for an IT company. Not to mention that people who wish to advance their careers often are more or less forced to work overtime, and often without compensation. I find that to be unhealthy. Especially if you have a family. I think it was one of the great German car manufacturers who once had a 4 day working week, Mondays off. Sounds reasonable to me.
I have not yet tried to get a position with a charity organization, but if you chose to pursue it, I'm sure it's not impossible. Being economists we could probably work with organizations offering consultancy to start-up businesses. And virtually everyone can do volounter work.
With regards to forefathers busting their ass off, please see my answer above to the devils advocate. Thanks for contributing!
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