Very much inspired by the recent post about what anti work actually means. If you were free from the “work or starve” paradigm, what would you do with your time? No wrong answers.
Personally, I would like to spend more time outside cultivating food and fiber. (Fiber here meaning growing flax for linen, raising angora rabbits or even goats or sheep for their fiber, etc. I am big into textiles)
This is a goal I pursue even now, because my current job is high paying and 4 days a week and I want to use that relative privilege to gain skills that help my communities. Speaking of, I’m also a big fan of community organising, which is another thing I’d want to keep doing post-work.
But like I said, no wrong answers! You don’t have to have a plan for how you’d serve your community. Some of us wouldn’t. And most of us don’t have the time to even think of what we could do for our communities. For that last case, I hope this discussion can be inspiring!
Spend time picking up trash. I also have a job that’s only 4 days a week. My first summer I had it I dedicated my 3rd day off to hiking and picking up trash along the parking spots and trails. Unfortunately I now fill that time with domestic stuff around the house and going to my many medical appointments as I’ve developed health issues. But how I wish to be able to spend a day or two a week just trying to make some sort of dent in the endless trash that’s buried in the dirt along our roads and waterways.
I would make art, music and painting, and clothes I guess. Maybe write. Play at and run TTRPG events/groups. I would take care of animals, pets or otherwise. I would hang out with friends more and go out to meet new people. Talk about life and try to figure the deepest parts out, instead of figuring out how to just survive.
I think I’d also like to get into organising parties, and DJing.
But most of all, I think I’d just follow my desires without fear. Not really worried there should be an end to anything I do, that all should aid me in earning money to survive or have a better life.
Just live more free I guess.
Now in a post-capitalist (but not post-work/post-scarcity) society, I’d likely do a lot of the same, in my free time. But if human labor is still necessary for society to function and exist, I’d like to spend my necessary labor either working in some sort of construction or cleaning.
Enjoy human interaction and create art (probably stories).
Fundamental research
I very much suspect we will never have to work “zero hours a week”, but 20 hrs/week seems just doable. So there would still be work to do. The rest of the time will be for recreational purposes. Like, connecting to other people, and stuff.
Probably, but we most certainly can afford to have miniumum basic services using some form of UBI or mix it with some public housing and other forms of direct material support. There is also nothing wrong with actual work for the most part and we absolutly can provide benefits to people that are willing to take on some tasks. Right now most rich countries have unemployment benefits already, which cover a lot of that.
I mean when I hear post-work I think Star Trek. Which might not be THAT far off. Like centuries sure, but that’s nothing in perspective. But yeah, us? The best we can “hope” for is meaningful, non-alienated work, with dignity, that doesn’t occupy most of our week. Which sounds pretty great to me tbh, I don’t need Star Trek.
