This one is a little more editorial than some of the other pages, (which are closer to being lists of links) but it’s a complicated topic which needs some introduction.
I think about this topic a lot, as someone who always has more projects going than he can finish, and because I really hate this (capitalist) idea that people are inherently lazy and won’t work unless compelled to with the threat of poverty, starvation, homelessness etc.
The page outlines ways work might change (including problems with modern work and unnecessary work), new categories of work, and ways to sift solarpunk callings from modern day examples.
I hope it’ll be useful to you - it’s very much a work in progress (as all the wiki pages are) so feel free to send me any additions/modifications you’d like to see.
Thanks for working on this! It always makes me sad when people suggest that most people wouldn’t want to contribute anything if they weren’t forced to.
Same! I always ask them if that’s what they’d do if given the chance and so far the answer is always “well no, (not me) but…” and then it veers towards whatever stereotype they’re leaning on for their understanding of human nature instead of their own experiences with others. (I grew up in a very white, conservative region so it’s usually unexplored or overt racism though they’ll sometimes point to specific poor white neighbors as their example).
It’s such a bleak, alienating mindset dressed up as realism and it’s so external - it’s almost always based on this pervasive flood of rants and examples they got from media. And it acts like work gives us our purpose in life for which we should all be grateful, like a rich guy’s landscaping whims is as close as you’ll get to a higher calling.
I don’t doubt there are a few people who would genuinely do nothing if given the chance, at least for a while - people need time to recover - but most of us have so much we want to do beyond what we’re able to find the time for.
Yes! I was going to mention that in my reply but decided not to type it out so it’s funny that you did. I call it the jesus paradox. When you ask “well if you knew you could sacrifice yourself to save everyone, wouldn’t you?” They are always like “well yeah I would but I don’t think most people would…” Why think others are so different from you?
Modern work does the opposite of give purpose. It (accurately) makes people feel like cogs in someone else’s machine. Participating in a river or beach cleanup with a group for half an hour gives me ridiculously more satisfaction than a day at work does (and my work isn’t particularly bad).