Despite the high cost of employment
It is still quite popular
This short poem is a takeoff or elaboration of Will Rogers’ infamous statement: Despite the high cost of living, it’s still quite popular. As wage slavery continues largely unabated, many are confronting the seemingly wild proposition of whether it’s worth being employed! Surely, millions of Americans in two-income households have concluded that it just isn’t worth it for the second person to work. By cutting childcare, transportation and other cash costs, as well as cutting the emotional costs of unsatisfying work, many people have experienced enhanced quality of life. The trends to increasing self-employment, contract work, or voluntary part-time will likely receive a boost with Obamacare offering more access to health care that is not dependent on large employers. Similarly, small business entrepreneurship will likely accelerate.
Personally, I have found that being dangerously underemployed is quite wonderful! I have grown to appreciate the value of time over money, and the profound freedom to pursue my passions, most of which are not particularly monetizable. My need to monetize is governed by the organizing principle of: for every dollar I don’t spend is a dollar I don’t have to earn. I regularly ponder the possibilities of “hiring myself” to do tasks that I would otherwise pay cash for, and often get satisfaction in a variety of such tasks. Cooking is a good example of this, where I can eat more cheaply and more nutritiously by preparing my own foods.
As workplace dissatisfaction is endemic, and employees commonly feel dehumanized, the push to finding fulfilling alternatives will likely continue. Hopefully, this can help transform work into a more meaningful enterprise for millions of people. May we all find joyful work and abundant re-creation.
