Thank you for this. Pieper's distinction lands hardest for me: not to stop working, but to stop being reduced to a mere worker. Because the reduction is the thing that happened quietly, across decades, without anyone announcing it.
The measure of worth collapsed into measure of output, and by the time most people noticed, the collapse had been running long enough to feel like just how things are.
The desire path doesn't appear because people stopped wanting to work... it appears because the official route stopped taking them where the work was supposed to lead.
I LOVE this! For starters, the Krishnamurti quote is right on. I have an M.S.W. and a background in seeing clients in a mental "health" clinic (which was actually about illness, not health), and I saw evidence of this quote all the time. I used to tell my clients that quote.
I'm glad you pulled in Taylorism and connected those dots, plus Ford's contribution to the machine.
And you're right: this idea "Culture is renewed not by more toil, but by leisure" feels not only radical, but actually dangerous. It is dangerous to the machine culture we're living in.
"You cannot optimize your way to wisdom"--SO TRUE, and I'd also add "you cannot optimize your way to well-being and joy."
Thanks for being here and doing what you're doing.
Thank you so much Elaine! It’s good to see it resonates with someone who’s been in it for so many years! I’ll try to post again next week. Trying to wrap this up and it keeps evolving!
Thank you for this. Pieper's distinction lands hardest for me: not to stop working, but to stop being reduced to a mere worker. Because the reduction is the thing that happened quietly, across decades, without anyone announcing it.
The measure of worth collapsed into measure of output, and by the time most people noticed, the collapse had been running long enough to feel like just how things are.
The desire path doesn't appear because people stopped wanting to work... it appears because the official route stopped taking them where the work was supposed to lead.
Glad it resonates. It's been happening for a long time.
I LOVE this! For starters, the Krishnamurti quote is right on. I have an M.S.W. and a background in seeing clients in a mental "health" clinic (which was actually about illness, not health), and I saw evidence of this quote all the time. I used to tell my clients that quote.
I'm glad you pulled in Taylorism and connected those dots, plus Ford's contribution to the machine.
And you're right: this idea "Culture is renewed not by more toil, but by leisure" feels not only radical, but actually dangerous. It is dangerous to the machine culture we're living in.
"You cannot optimize your way to wisdom"--SO TRUE, and I'd also add "you cannot optimize your way to well-being and joy."
Thanks for being here and doing what you're doing.
Thank you so much Elaine! It’s good to see it resonates with someone who’s been in it for so many years! I’ll try to post again next week. Trying to wrap this up and it keeps evolving!