by Christopher Arnett
Native Foods Cafe
We accept many things as natural and normal in our lives. We get married, pay bills, work five days a week. That’s just how things are done, and that’s what makes the world go round, right? Because if that’s the norm for advanced industrialized nations, then it can only be assumed that this is best way to live and keep our economies and thus our own lives functioning properly, right?
I think we all know how she feels sometimes!
Well, an article by the progressive New Economic Foundation (NEF) argues against one of the tenets deeply embedded in our modern day economic reality: the 40 hour work week. Michael Coren writing for Fast Company magazine poignantly summarized the thrust of the article by writing that “our behavior is totally out of step with human priorities and today’s economy.” The article states that advanced nations should reorganize their economies such that a 40-hour work week is no longer necessary (though still optional for those who are willing). It argues that we are caught in a cycle of work and consumption, futilely working towards material ends that provide transitory satisfaction. By working a 21-hour work week, paid work will be redistributed, in effect equalizing our economy (currently, some work too much while others work too little); and, more time would be available for our personal growth. Not only this, but if everyone on the planet was to achieve a standard of living on par with modern Western societies, it would simply overwhelm our resources. Coren summarizes the NEF’s solution when he writes “Instead of growing the economy, maybe we need to recalibrate society to make everyone happier and more successful with less.”
History shows us that when human societies were able reach a level of sustainable food production resulting in a surplus, it allowed other sectors of the population to focus on more intellectual and creative pursuits. Once mere survival was no longer a challenge, a flowering of culture occurred, as seen in the splendor of such ancient societies as those of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, etc. And we, their descendents, have inherited this legacy, as evidenced by the current state of advancement of our own cultures. However, is it possible that for all our technological and cultural progress, we have reached a plateau in personal economic freedom that is negatively impacting all other aspects of our lives? Just as with our ancestors, once mere survival becomes less challenging, would it not lead to personal cultural, intellectual, and spiritual enrichment (assuming one takes advantage of the new opportunities for growth)? Imagine being able to work less but still maintaining your standard of living. You could spend more time with you family, cultivating those relationships that tend to get lost in the morass of busy schedules and obligations; you could go back to school, earning the degree you never had to the time for in the past; you could take up that yoga class, start painting again, or write that song you could never get around to, before.
Ah, the good ol’ Fertile Crescent. May our own lives be just as rich and bountiful as the cradle of human civilization one was.
Maybe I’m just too much of an optimist, but it seems to me that that the increased personal happiness and fulfillment that would occur from having the time to tend to our own personal spiritual, emotional, intellectual, creative, and physical needs resulting from a shorter work week would cause a rippling effect of exponential magnitude. Yes, there are hurdles to achieving this, but the potential is worth investigating. If I’m happier and more fulfilled, won’t that affect everyone around me? And one can only hope that a happier population will result in less crime, stress-related disease, and hateful thinking. Maybe this really is too much to hope for, but it is 2012, after all. Some groups think this year will see the end of the world, while others believe it will be a time for a massive shift in consciousness. Here’s hoping it’s the latter, and that the shift in consciousness leads to planetary harmony, balance, and the alleviation of suffering for all beings, human and animal alike.
Native Foods Cafe, vegan food, vegan ,vegan restaurant
Does that mean Native Foods offers a 40 hour/wk sized paycheck for working a 21 hour work week? If so, I will apply tomorrow!
Posted by: Sara | 01/17/2012 at 10:19 PM