My strong political opinions have not jilted my views about employer/employee relationships. Its been exactly the other way round: my life experiences have shaped my world views.

“They say sing while you slave, but I just get bored.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgphPFNiVZw

During the Covid lockdown I felt like I was accomplishing nothing. I was bored and felt useless. It convinced me that I want to continue to work at least part time as long as I have a couple marbles rolling around in head. Being 66, I pick my jobs now and don’t just take everything I can anymore. It’s satisfying to me. I believe in large part that’s because I make so many customers happy it gives me a sense that I am doing something good for the world. Nothing earth shaking but improving people’s lives every day in marginal ways, and making a living while doing it.

I will agree that working for someone else vs yourself is a different vibe. I’ve done that too and it’s not hard to get disillusioned with it. Being someone’s employee is not a ticket to the top of Maslow’s hierarchy. Still, there’s quite a bit of scientific data related to one’s employment and sense of self worth. Anecdotally, my wife’s 42 year old son moved in with us almost three years ago because he got massively in debt with his credit cards (again – my wife bailed him out a few times in the past). Then he was laid off his job after six months and has been unemployed for over two years. It’s obvious what a toll being without a job has taken on his self esteem. From my perspective, I’m tired of supporting the useless fuck.

I’m glad you have a happy and thriving retirement, my friend. But I also know from many conversations we’ve had that your strong political opinions have jilted your views about employer/employee relationships in a very negative way. You’re not entirely wrong, just not entirely right either.

But most of the time its drudgery, its indentured servitude, its just short of slavery. You’re busting your butt and ruining your mental, physical and emotional health to pay for your boss’s kid’s private school tuitions and mortgage payments because its the only way you can pay your rent and feed your family.

And I’m one of the lucky ones, I have usually worked in a field where I have the training and the interest to enjoy my work and the opportunity to be good at it. The vast majority of workers can’t even count on that! And I don’t have to tell you the situation isn’t getting any better, its only getting worse. I’m a Boomer. I was born in the sweet spot. Talk to the youngsters out there who are sucking canal water right now.

Hey, don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect a free ride or government charity, I’m willing to pull my share and earn my salt, but spare me the entrepreneurial cheerleading, OK? There is a very good reason its called ‘work’.

Oh, sure, if you really enjoy running a business and living off the labor and talent of others it can be quite self-actualizing. But I, and I believe most others, would rather do something they love than merely supervise a machine that generates profit. The average worker is capable of putting great effort and talent into his hobbies, of producing a thing of beauty and elegance, but the guy who enjoys being general rarely considers HIS hobby involves getting the infantry maimed and killed by the thousands. Yeah, I know someone has to do it, and I know everyone can’t, but that doesn’t require we all have to wax poetic about how wonderful it is that the world is organized that way.

I worked non-stop from 1971 to 2010, most of the time at jobs I was well trained for and in fields were I commanded some respect and satisfaction for my expertise. For the most part, I was treated well by my employers and I was prosperous, I thrived. But it wasn’t til after I retired that I realized what a degrading and soul-killing business it all was. It wasn’t because the bosses were villains, its because when you aren’t working for yourself, you are working for someone else. Its that simple. My retirement years have been a blessing to me, my health, mental and physical, has thrived, my family relations flourished and my entire outlook on life has finally settled down. I am happy now, I wasn’t before.

And I didn’t even fully realize it while it was happening. And I don’t think you’ll realize it until AI takes over your job and you come to understand that the Captains of Industry don’t give a flying fuck about you, your family, or your self-actualization.

And then there’s the innovative side. People want to start businesses to make fortunes and help the world. I can’t see that fundamental aspect of humanity being entirely replaed by AI.