Capitalism, together with industrialism and technology, has given pencils, books and air conditioning. It got us through COVID with record-low harm (the Spanish flu killed 50 million people).
It continues to gift us new innovations that we rely on every day.
Short-term capitalism, however, tries hard to create lock-in, inflate prices, reduce competition, and innovation. It treats humans as a cog and seeks to maximise profits without creating value.
Capitalism is an extraordinary engine. Like any vehicle, we need guardrails (policies to prevent monopolies), a diagnostic system (to call out the bad actors), and effective steering (policies) to guide it in the right direction.
We’re told lies about purpose. An object, a purpose. But if you squint hard, your clothes, your shoes and your phone, it’s hardly just for the function, looks or price.
The same is true for work. And maybe that’s why you’re unhappy.
Liz pointed out there are 4 ways to think about your work.
Job – is something do it for money. It doesn’t need to be awesome. It doesn’t have to fulfil you. It’s doesn’t even have to be joyful. It just has to pay.
Career – is like a job, one that you’re passionate about. You’re willingly to put in extra, sacrifice for, because it matters to you.
Hobby – is something you do for fun. There are no stakes, and it doesn’t have to make you famous. You do because it make you feel you’re more than a cog in the machine.
Vocation – the holiest, most scared of all. It is like a hobby, but also mystical. It is a calling, a divine invitation for you to create in this way.
Melville worked as custom inspector while writing Moby Dick. Einstein had his breakthrough while working in the patent office. They both enjoy a life filled with a multitude of hobbies. It was only until much later their vocation became their career.
Industries come and go. If the book business went away, guess what Melville would do.
If you think that just because you have a job, you are not allow pursue your fascinations. You’re probably in a career that you hate (then go get a job), or you’re little lazy and a little lacking in self-accountability.
Don’t surrender your agency and revert to the numbing day-to-day grind of compliance. Think about what those words mean to you, and what kind of life you like to lead. You can do better.
Probably the most famous cellist in the world, Yo-Yo Ma, played free in the subway station. Thousands walked by, not realising they missed a performance of a lifetime.
A Banksy painting got auctioned for $1.4 million and immediately shredded itself. The shredded remains may now be worth even more.
Lynn, a inventor, had a brilliant idea to offer to market. It’s her passion and she have a vision. For nine months, every toy company in America was mean to her. She pivoted to the book business, and sold more than 5 million copies of her first book.
Why did no one stop to hear Yo-Yo Ma? Why would shredded paper be worth more? Why wouldn’t toy companies give Lynn a chance?
Words are important. It is how we see the world, solve problems and have fun along the way.
The other day I met someone new. We both brought great energy and intention to connect well with each other.
As the conversation went, I find myself being corrected and learning heaps. A more accurate word, another angle to the situation, and interesting problems to tackle (finding different business structures to mitigate the downside of capitalism).
After one too many times of being corrected, I found myself being derailed to a topics that I don’t think were conducive to me or the conversation. I have no idea how I got there.
That conversation stayed with me for days. I wondered if I could’ve done anything different for a better conversation? Could I have stayed more present? Should I have listened to the subtext more? Could I have asked what did he really want to share with me? Am I being too much of a smarty pants?
