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I often daydream about how society would be if we were not forced by society to pigeon hole ourselves into a specialized career for maximizing the profits of capitalists, and sell most of our time for it.

The idea of creating an entire identity for you around your "career" and only specializing in one thing would be ridiculous in another universe. Humans have so much natural potential for breadth, but that is just not compatible with capitalism.

This is evident with how most people develop "hobbies" outside of work, like wood working, gardening, electronics, music, etc. This idea of separating "hobbies" and the thing we do most of our lives (work) is ridiculous.

Here's how my world could be different if I owned my time and dedicated it to the benefit of my own and my community instead of capitalists:

  • more reading, learning and excusing knowledge with others.
  • learn more handy work, like plumbing and wood working. I love customizing my own home!
  • more gardening
  • participate in the transportation system (picking up shifts to drive a bus for example)
  • become a tour guide for my city
  • cook and bake for my neighbors
  • academic research
  • open source software (and non-software) contributions
  • pick up shifts at a café and make coffee, tea and smoothies for people
  • pick up shifts to clean up public spaces, such as parks or my own neighborhood
  • participate in more than one "professions". I studied one type of engineering but work in a completely different engineering. This already proves I can do both, so why not do both and others?

Humans do not like the same thing over and over every day. It's unnatural. But somehow we revolve our whole livelihood around if.

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[-] Plibbert@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 year ago

Imma be honest I have no idea. I might legit just sit here and be a leech on society playing video games and watching shows. But I'd like to imagine I would go back to school and try and do freelance repair/maintenance for various things. I just honestly don't know if I'd do enough to consider it a fair contribution to society.

[-] Lauchs@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

I'd hang out and enjoy the fruits of other people's time being sold. Pretty hard to think of a hobby that wouldn't cover.

[-] demesisx@programming.dev 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I'm an intellectually overqualified filmmaker surrounded by anti-intellectuals (I routinely get made fun of for being interested in technical stuff)....and right now, I am on workman's comp with a broken foot. So: exactly what I am doing right now is exactly what I would want to be doing.

What's that?
Hanging out with my daughter in my lab,

Learning

  • Haskell/Plutus
  • Purescript
  • using Nix to glue them together
  • hacking an espresso machine (either with a RISC_V Lychee Pi or an ESP32...haven't decided yet).

Practicing:

  • guitar

Blazing:

  • chronic
[-] Today@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Everyone thinks they're smarter than the idiots around them. Most are wrong.

[-] demesisx@programming.dev 4 points 1 year ago

In my case, whether I’m wrong or not, they actively discourage me from using my brain.

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[-] wildeaboutoskar@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

I would do loads of degrees. History, English, Psychology, Politics, Spanish, etc. Having the brain space to focus on learning would be amazing. I did my masters part time while working full time and it was a nightmare. Glad I did it but I couldn't do my best as I was bogged down in work stuff.

I would also like to learn more languages. I do a bit of Spanish and Danish when I can but I rarely have the mental energy after work.

Travel too. Maybe write a book.

[-] CurlyWurlies4All@slrpnk.net 5 points 1 year ago

I'd love to spend more time planting trees. I volunteer to do it occasionally on weekends but I really love the process of going from sprout to seedling to planted. I just wish I could do more of it.

[-] cityboundforest@beehaw.org 5 points 1 year ago

I would, in no certain order:

  • Work at a coffee shop part time making coffee for people. Preferably a locally owned shop, but it wouldn't matter too much if not.
  • Work as a bartender similarly as above
  • Potentially garden if I have the time and interest for it
  • Create more YouTube videos
  • Write, record, and release more music
  • Learn to paint
  • Get a film camera and take photos with it
  • Contribute to FLOSS projects
  • Finally make that D&D table that doubles as a dining table that I've been wanting to make for a few months now
  • Actually follow through on learning my several languages I'm working on learning
  • Become an interpreter (probably in ASL)
  • Develop video games
  • Create more art in general
  • Do research on how art and society mingle together and interact
[-] galloog1@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

What would you when you get in this undefined yet not capitalist utopia and are forced to work long hours at a job you didn't choose to help further the cause of the revolution?

[-] JBloodthorn@kbin.social 4 points 1 year ago

I would make video games. I'd even do some adult ones, since I've noticed the existing ones aren't super great.

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this post was submitted on 10 Sep 2023
385 points (100.0% liked)

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