Work is no disgrace; the disgrace is idleness
Labor and Value
The construct of labor has evolved dramatically over the course of human history. Working is synonymous with civilization as all things are accomplished through diligence and labor. Initially defined as a purely physical undertaking, labor now includes more lethargic activities. Remote computer work can be performed without ever leaving one’s home or even getting out of bed. Yet this occupation is equivalent to more strenuous work like digging ditches or logging trees.
Work used to be far more tangible. We could see and touch the fruits of our labor because generally the reward was derived from the work itself. Building a structure, cultivating a field, or providing a service to another person was fulfilling because our labor created value. Today, our work is measured by the time spent on the task and we are compensated monetarily. Labor evolves with society; the managerial white-collar professions are simply a product of industrialization. It is considered progress, that we no longer break our bodies physically to create value. Although, shareholder value does not provide the same gratification as a tangible product of one’s mental or physical effort.
The combined worth developed from our collective labor is how society is measured and how it grows. The corporate agenda can create value for itself and its stakeholders without benefiting humanity. Employees can perform poor or insignificant work and still be rewarded with a favorable wage. This has created a sense of entitlement with the modern workforce. We feel entitled to a comfortable salary, benefits, vacation and an eventual retirement despite not creating any value to society or to our community. The concept of laboring for the benefit of others has been displaced by sentiment of working for our own leisure.
By measures of productivity, the human race has never worked more than ever in history. But the product of that labor has been steadily decreasing for decades. Compensation is rising but the standard of living is exponentially falling.
Inflation is not just a measure of the money supply, but its relation to all the goods and services produced by our collective labor. The declining value of our work is just as responsible for the degradation of society as the fiscal negligence of our leaders. All wealth is the product of labor, our combined underperformance will make the world destitute. The modern workforce requires a severe attitude adjustment.
Trades and Button Pushers
The modern economy slaughtered the desire for skilled trades. The opportunities still exist of course, but the inclination to pursue a trade over a corporate career has all but disappeared. The appetite to work with one’s hands died with the rise of academia. Blue-collar work now carries a negative connotation as the pretentious intellectuals of higher education push younger generations to pursue more lethargic office jobs over manual labor. It’s ironic that a civilization hellbent on developing AI and robotics to replace our most monotonous tasks has yet to substitute the plumber or the accountant. Arguably, the most sustainable jobs today are the ones that require human hands or qualified judgement to perform. There will always be a need for people with the right skills or knowhow to innovate and solve diverse problems.
The artisan used to be the most noble and respected of professions. A person who could create something not just functional, but downright beautiful. There was no limit to the value created by a skilled craftsman. The high skilled workers of the modern day are the engineers, computer programmers, and surgeons. They can create something elegant or fix something highly complex, but most importantly they do things that others cannot. The requirement of skilled individuals rises as a society becomes more complicated. Higher education and stewardship is necessary for these professions. The barriers to entry for these jobs should be high for safety and quality concerns. This is the intention of universities and skilled degrees, or at least it was. The intellectual standards of these institutions have fallen to adhere to diversity and ideological preferences. Degrees are now earned so that one can achieve admission to a leisurely corporate position, not to develop marketable or useful skills
The collegiate education has warped into an overpriced, overrated status symbol. Society values individuals who pursue a worthless degree over a tradesman. This oversaturates the labor market with over educated, and under skilled workers who will provide very little societal value at a higher than worthy cost. Corporations are packed with administrative and managerial positions that provide very little economic value. Government offices with no profit incentive are even worse. Jobs are not created to fill a societal need but to keep worthless button pushers busy and employed instead. The tradesman who creates, fixes, and provides valuable services are looked down upon by these societal parasites with fancy job titles.
80% of Americans work desk jobs, 75% of those desk workers admit they can easily do 5 days worth of work in 4 days. 20% of the workforce is government jobs and it’s impossible to measure the actual value of those positions but they are all funded by taxpayers.
Anticipating or Warning?
In 1901, The futurist author H.G. Wells predicted our current circumstances in his book Anticipations. At the peak of the Industrial Revolution, he explained the major shift in employment we are familiar with today and predicted the culmination of this system as well as its inevitable end. He describes four major classes of the new industrialized society; the Shareholding Class who owns and controls the property and capital, the Middle Class that comprises of the productive and capable workers, the Non-Productive Class of business managers and political organizers, and the Abyss which is the poor or criminal elements. Cynically, he considers three of the four classes as a consequential drag on society, calling them parasitic and irresponsible. Although, he believed that a rational society would eliminate these classes leaving only the Middle Class, “the New Republic” which would dominate the other classes and positively influence the world.
Unfortunately, we are not a rational society, and most fiscal efforts by our leaders have sequestered the Middle Class and created a haven for our parasitic classes. The Shareholder class has monopolized every industry, the Non-Productive Class has bureaucratized every institution, and the Abyss grows with the welfare state and endless government entitlements. Wells believed that value came from those who innovated, improved, and provided services for others. He imagined their potential for greater social and intellectual development. He hoped that the world would propel this class to leadership roles. In reality, our intellectuals have commended the roles of the bureaucrat at the expense of the tradesman and the innovators. Wells’ warning was not heeded.
The Most Valuable Position
The percentage of Americans with a college education quadrupled in 50 years from less than 10% to around 40% of the working age population. In the same time period, the percentage of women’s labor force participation has almost doubled from 35% to 70%.
These trends have drastically changed the workforce in some very positive ways, but also directly caused a shift in the aggregate value that our economy produces. The American economy has shifted from a net producer to a net consumer. We create a lot of financial value, but corporations employ mostly managers and clerical workers that do not directly create tangible goods. Men and more undereducated individuals are more inclined to work in jobs that produce products and services like mining, construction, and the maintenance of infrastructure.
Of course, not all corporate and administrative jobs are a hindrance on the economy or are inherently worth less than your average plumber and electrician. However, the benefit of labor cannot always be defined by its monetary value. Community obligations and homemaking create significant social benefits that have now been essentially replaced by corporate busy work. Rather than caretaking for one’s family and providing priceless support to the community, women have diverted most of their time and efforts to working for financial gain. Motherhood is the most valuable of all jobs, but many have dismissed it in pursuit of a career. They would rather work for The Man instead of a man and their children.
The measure of social status used to be centered around the building of families and providing services to the community. This has changed as people now desire more material things and impressive job titles. The pursuit of money and status has been prioritized over the invaluable pursuit of happiness and providing for others. The most fulfilling jobs are ones that create value, work that is appreciated by others, and considered essential or at the very least, inspirational.
Help Wanted and Found
The “New Republic” described by H.G. Wells will inevitably rise. Society has already begun shifting worth back to those who create and inspire. Entrepreneurship is taking preference over the corporate wage slave. The internet has allowed any solution minded person to fill a need at a near endless scale. The free exchange of ideas and a monetary system that subverts traditional media and banking is not just possible, it’s here. The opportunities to liberate our economy and empower small businesses are easily accessible. The corporations will die at the feet of small business owners who do a lot more with a whole lot less. One enterprise at a time, capital will divert to the productive individuals who deserve it. In a true free market economy with unrestrained competition, the multinational corporations never stood a chance.
Wealth is not measured in financial terms, but in conscientiousness and immaterial gain. Humans are designed to work. It’s what makes us unique. To labor is to aspire to greater things and craft a better experience. Pride in one’s work does not come from the task at hand but the opportunity to make the world better.
Pick up your hammer, pen, shovel, or laptop, and get back to work.