workers are TIRED!! our jobs do not have to be this bad... #internetanalysis

Our collective attitudes toward work and capitalism have changed so much even just in the past decade or so. We had hustle culture, the grind set, the kings of passive income, but that was mostly targeted toward men. So, over here in millennial pink, we had the girl boss era. Yes, the system is rigged against us ladies, but what if you were the boss? Lean in to capitalism. But soon enough that vaguely progressive veneer shattered, revealing that too many girl bosses will still tolerate misogyny, racism, and inequality in their companies as long as they're the she-e-o. Then we saw the rise of side hustles promoted as flexible work options. Be your own boss, work the hours you want. But after a while, these side hustles were no longer extra money. The gig economy became a necessity, the only option for many workers. Unsurprisingly, the people are fed up. Underpaid and underappreciated workers began quiet quitting, the revolutionary act of literally just doing your job, not going above and beyond. Why would you? Then we had the I don't dream of labor conversation, which was huge. Everyone is working so hard, but still nothing is stable. Why would I put everything, my all, into pursuing a career? Do careers even exist anymore? Especially as the American dream has crumbled, that promise of working hard, getting promoted, working your way up the ladder, and then retiring with a great pension and a 401k. That is not happening anymore. We're all aware, work sucks, especially right now. People are not getting paid enough. Every company is buying into the AI bubble. We're seeing tons of layoffs, and we're all worried that our jobs will soon become obsolete. I feel for anyone who is unemployed or underemployed right now because this job market is absolutely brutal. And even just summarizing that out loud, it is easy to fall into doomerism. I get overwhelmed by the state of the world on a daily basis, but I do believe that as bad as things are right now, and even especially because it's so bad, I think that makes this an even more crucial moment to re-examine everything. Here's a crazy thought. Maybe work doesn't have to be so bad. Honestly, our society is productive and prosperous enough that we could all be working less and living well. Ultimately, living to work does not make any sense. We want to work to live. Crazy idea. And yeah, if we have to have jobs and dedicate, you know, 40 hours a week to this thing, a lot of people do want that job to be somewhat meaningful, maybe even fulfilling. I do think it's very important to dream and actually share our big ideas for the future, even if they sound absurdly, impossibly far away. Fighting to have enough time, money, and energy to enjoy life is not naive.