Richard Mochelle wrote:
>
> Why is the game deceptive? Because there is no inbuilt
> work/non-work time zone in the biological mind/body. Our minds
> 'work' all of the time, as do our lungs and hearts, even when we are
> asleep. In order to say 'now we are working', 'now we are not
> working' we have to overlook this biological and ontological
> reality, and engage each other in a let's pretend game. An
> inherently deceptive game, because we cannot discern whether a
> person is 'working' or 'not working' by observing their activity.
> Moreover, we cannot tell whether they are 'genuinely' playing a
> work/non-work game, or merely acting 'as if'. Even if they are
> genuinely playing a work/non-work game at the moment of observation,
> we cannot tell 'which' game they are playing. As discussions on
> this list have revealed there are many possible ways of
> distinguishing work from non-work. Games of pretence can be fun of
> course, but what is disturbing is that the pretence has enabled some
> people to have gained extraordinary wealth at the expense of others
> and the environment. We should begin to ask whether we need, or
> ought, to continue playing along with the game? Perhaps there are
> good and strong moral reasons to persuade us that we 'ought' to
> continue, but I remain to be persuaded. There seems little that is
> ethical about the work ethic.
>
> Galbraith wrote (Culture of Contentment p33): 'There is no greater
> illusion, even fraud, than the use of a single term 'work' to cover
> what for some is dreary, painful or socially demeaning and what for
> others is enjoyable, socially reputable and economically rewarding.'
>
An interesting article!
It is true that the word "work" is deceptive.
Today it is to take part in the capital circuit: M-C-M
(Money-Commodity-Money), and to take part in the paid work that is
necessary to reproduce this circuit and its preconditions.
There should be other things that people are paid for. There have
been several articles about a Guaranteed Citizens Income, and it is
in some ways the same question that is being raised.
People and countries that are not taking part in the capital circuit
are often in the worst situation, because they might be starving.
It is a problem to be locked out from the circuits where things are
going on, whether it is the capital circuit or other circuits.
It is about to be allowed to be present and to take part and to
contribute in a fair and equal way and to gain a fair amount of the
fruits.
This is the task: to build a world where nobody is locked out from
the circuits, arenas where the good things are being distributed.
Today there are only one way to get some a the basic things, and it
is to take part in the few circuits that is putting value upon
everything by making everything commodities.
It is no problem to think about lots of other arenas/circuits then
the capital circuit where participation is creating values which
fosters growth of humanity and the spirit etc. and a better life for
others, but where the participation is not being rewarded by money.
It is about to change the way that the capital circuit works, stop
it from dominating all spheres of life and let it turn everything
into commodities. It is that simple!
Then the word work might be replaced by words like participate?
Because everybody is participating, or want to participating.
Like Aristoteles wrote: Humans are political animals. Then people
will be paid for being who they are.
Tor Forde
Visit our homepage: http://home.sol.no/~toforde/
