this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2023
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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 cafΓ© 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.

(page 3) 42 comments
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[–] cubedsteaks@lemmy.today 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

I'd have more time to become a better artist.

edit: what the fuck was that unwarranted shitty comment.

[–] matcha_addict@lemy.lol 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

dont worry about that other commenter. They're angry that their argument in another comment was argued against, and now they look stupid.

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[–] metaStatic@kbin.social -2 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] Bye@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I would cut cars in half and weld them into the other halves of other cars

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[–] metaStatic@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (3 children)

my world could be different if I owned my time

Self ownership is the basis of capitalism and you're already playing the game, you're just playing it bad.

if you're on hourly I want you to ask yourself if you would pay someone else what you earn at work to do whatever you just did in the last hour.
if not why not? did you explicitly set aside this time to be unproductive? do you think people doing better than you let themselves slide like that?

Humans do not like the same thing over and over every day

Speak for yourself, I love having a routine and getting in the zone. Autonomy and Mastery are worth more to me than money.

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[–] DrQuint@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago

I would sleep a lot more, that's for sure.

[–] JBloodthorn@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

I would make video games. I'd even do some adult ones, since I've noticed the existing ones aren't super great.

[–] mub@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Gymnastics, surfing, and study and write philosophical works. And maybe practice guitar.

[–] lungdart@lemmy.ca 0 points 1 year ago

I would spend my time the same way. Honing my specialization to increase benefit to society. I love software development!

[–] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Probably sleep or do gamedev in a full time fashion.

I would love to do more with animation especially non-traditional animation like LED or Pinscreen, but the barrier of entry is just too high.

[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd do what I'm doing now but I'd be helping hospitals and schools instead of companies.

[–] matcha_addict@lemy.lol 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel the same about my job. I love what I do, I just wish it was targeted towards helping my community rather than generating profits for rich capitalists

[–] albert@lemmy.sysctl.io 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What's stopping you? Academia is in dire need of software/computer engineering researchers.

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[–] hoodatninja@kbin.social 0 points 1 year ago

Produce documentaries, develop a video game

I'd love to spend more time planting trees. I volunteer to do it occasionally on weekends but I really love the process of going from sprout to seedling to planted. I just wish I could do more of it.

[–] ATQ@lemm.ee -1 points 1 year ago (30 children)

You can do this right now, OP. If you don’t like living in a society just fuck off into the wilderness and do you. There are enormous swaths of land in this world where nobody will ever bother you. What’s stopping you?

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[–] luke@beehaw.org -1 points 1 year ago (5 children)

Jesus Christ this post sucks

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[–] Nobsi@feddit.de -3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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@lemy.lol 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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@feddit.de -2 points 1 year ago (13 children)

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

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[–] blackstrat@lemmy.fwgx.uk -5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

If that's capitalist society didn't exist you'd spend your time hunting, gathering, farming band generally ensuring you had food on the table. You wouldn't have time or energy to do those other things you dream of. And nor would anyone else.

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