The Working Man

I dislike the term "working class." It can mean the working poor, people who do manual or industrial work, or even anyone who does wage labor. It is a nothing term, without a clear definition. What I most dislike about it though is that it is always distinct from the middle class. Which carries an implication that after a certain income level one no longer works for a living. You can make an argument about the comparative rigor of blue collar versus white collar work. But in arguing who works harder, you would concede both do work. Only the leisure class does not.

In Theory of the Leisure Class Thorstein Veblen wrote that the upper class occupy themselves with conspicuous consumption and leisure instead of productive work. Upper class people do presumably have more leisure and ability to consume. But only a small part of working aged people are wealthy to the point of not needing to work. A couple percent at most. Veblen was writing about the Gilded Age. Of landed gentry and robber baron millionaires. Who were on the way out even then. The leisure class is a thing people read about, or aspire to, but no one actually inhabits. Which is a good thing.

Most Americans who can work do work. Most of them full-time, year-round. Work not only allows us to support ourselves but it gives purpose and meaning and structure to our lives. It is not everything though. Life is not harder than it used to be. But it is more complex. We added all this complexity, trying to make things easier. That now we are laboring to navigate that complexity. And technology speeds up our work, making us more productive. But we do not let any time savings create space in our days. Instead, it is on to the next task, and the next, forever and it feels unnatural. So, we have to fight to slow down. Doing things with care that elevates the experience and the results of our work.

I have a stressful job. I work remotely in financial services. Ensuring that investors are treated fairly and honestly. Every situation is complex, and emotions are charged. Money is at risk. The job runs on burnout. But I am in one of the last places where long tenure is the norm. Time was you got a job and you worked there your whole life. Now people go job to job, and even industry to industry. I have been with my company for 11 years. But it is common to see people celebrating their 20th or 30th work anniversary. I make my own schedule, control my work environment, and set my own priorities. I do not worry about paying the mortgage or putting food on the table. That is not a humblebrag. I know how fortunate I am.

I moved to the country for a slower pace of life. But my workdays are on city time. Which is a problem for me long term. I did not come here to hustle. I came to adopt the pace of nature. To live deeply in the moment. And to be at peace with things undone. So, at some point I am going to have to downshift. When you ask most people about retirement, they list a handful of leisure activities and little else. Not anything you could build a life around. Because they just want out. But men need to be useful. So, I think we should work until we cannot anymore. My "retirement" plan is to find important work, that goes undone because you cannot earn a living at it. The best sort of man you can be is one who helps others.

Ultimately you are not your job. You are how you do it. If the West falls it will be because of shoddy work. Not even a competency crisis, but a crisis of not giving a shit. No one tries anymore because they do not care about the person who has to deal with it after them. We should care. A thing done well is an act of love. Not always for the work itself. But for the people you work with, and for the world at large. People who do not take ownership do not realize what they are missing out on. The peace you are looking for is in the work you are avoiding.