on work, as differentiated from labor

labor, work + action (part 3/4)

Work as differentiated from Labor: Work is those hours and sweat that create something which is not consumed, but instead extends beyond the seasonal process of humanity. Work creates usable tables, architecture, and trains; Work creates timeless prose, chord progressions, and paintings; Work creates The Chicago World Fair, Coachella, and Comic Con; Work creates that which exceeds necessity and seeks to enter the immortal: “to shine and to be seen, to sound and to be heard, to speak and to be read.” (Human Condition 167)

this essay builds off of the prior two in the series (here and here) and is predicated on Labor, or the upkeep of humanity - essentially - being broken down into its most necessary parts (food, water, housing, health, sanitation, etc) and formed as the primary focus for all of humanity. much in the same way as children can play once their chores are finished, we are left with Work upon the completed upkeep of Labor.

in order for this to happen, for Labor to be accomplished by all, we would not be living in a late stage capitalist society. it isn't communism, it isn't socialism, it isn't anarchy, nor is it a kingdom (obviously), but perhaps we can close our eyes and picture something new with Labor and Work as two of the first three building blocks.

also this essay is so damn wordy so props to you for being an intellectual.

shall we begin?

where capitalism showed potential - the ability for individuals and groups to acquire the means of starting an organization that serves the needs of their community - we might hope to perfect in future social constructs. what economics has looked like in practice since the Industrial Revolution is that privileged groups, generally by birth but occasionally by developed connection, would have heightened access to the funds needed to fuel their muses, be them creative or economic. that head start was further leveraged as they continued to capitalize on their original funds, utilizing the labor for this growth of those not allowed such head starts. this leads to shareholder returns: the same individuals who were able to fund the beginnings of these different operations through their starting at a higher economical point are now further endowed via the ingenuity and effort of others. it’s a cyclically stratifying hierarchical perpetuation.

in late stage capitalism, there are a few hundred multinational corporations who crank out as many cookie cutter couches, bottles of wine, and kitsch rings as possible. in marxism, there is even more centralization than the amalgamation present in capitalism, though with the shared (or more oftentimes coerced) understanding that centralized control is in the best interest of the proletariat laboring class. what we might seek instead, from a Work perspective, is to develop a means of exposing and elevating those individuals and groups who would seek to gift their Work to the community outside of the hierarchical and centralized guards of the status quo present in most modern societal structures. the acquisition of resources/capital must come from means other than the State or non-governmental profit-based groups. once these organizations are established, Work may begin.

Work moves beyond the rigid frameworks of Labor, with has a limited scope of serving the shared needs of all members relatively equally: everyone regularly needs food, transportation, and access to a doctor, whereas not everyone needs a couch, bottle of wine, or an engagement ring. these things are not consumable in the way that Labor outcomes are and at any one time the average person is not in need of them. however, across a given society there will be varying demands for such items. there are also passions and talents of artisans who gain personal purpose through their creations. Work goes beyond the consumable here and now to assist in creating the edifice that elevates the human experience. Work has always been done through human history, but where we might be able to reorient from the conditioned status quo is by democratizing the ability to create beyond one’s current social position as has existed in societies to this point.

by localizing access to Work, the previous hierarchical vanguards that maintained social order might be exchanged for direct community involvement and power over who is able to create through Work. this allows for the rapid demise of institutional racism, sexism, ableism, and other exclusionary tendencies towards the groups of people who have not historically held positions of power in our societies. who can Work and who must stick solely to Labor must no longer be decided by stiffs in suits at the local multinational bank; the power can move for the first time in modern history to the very neighborhoods that might experience and revel in the creations of their fellow members.

through this simple change, the very experience of living can improve. if the ability to survive were not predicated solely on holding down a ‘job’, what Work might be done by our neighbors of their own free will and volition? hierarchies with overbearing bosses and menial treatment could turn into antiquated relics of a time prior, as the free choice to choose where and on what a person Works creates a more egalitarian organizational environment and structure as groups of diversely learned and experienced individuals join together toward a common goal. if no existing organizations fulfill the desires of an individual, then they can take a week/month/year and focus on their Labor, community Action, and the consumption of art that might inspire them to create a new Work to dedicate time and love to. the ongoing development/experiences of each member of the community will allow each person to come to the table with the ability to compassionately communicate and effectively work within a team of free association, where the leaders aren't the most economically beholden, but rather the most energetic and knowledgeable at the time. Work provides an outlet for these skills that might better the individual and the human experience.

it's a new way of viewing what we as an individual and a species invest our time in. there is Labor for the upkeep, Work for the expansion, and - soon to be written - Action for the compass on which direction society might direct itself towards.

thx 4 reading