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March 30, 2020
Natural Abundance
By Josh Mitteldorf
Our lives could be far more rewarding and less conflictual if we self-organized for peaceful, productive activity in harmony with nature.
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The great lie on which our modern economic system is based is that much onerous and unpleasant work needs to be done to keep us all alive and well, and that without the impending threat of destitution, ostracism, and starvation, there would be no one volunteering to do all that work.
The truth is that, historically, tribal hunter-gatherer cultures have done well with much less than what we call a normal work-week, and they were doing things that were in accord with human nature, rewarding and interesting, not onerous.
The truth is that with automation, very little work that is unpleasant or repetitive is left to sentient humans.
The truth is that genuinely productive work is satisfying and fulfilling, and most humans are called to do that kind of work, and in fact we feel destitute without itThe truth is that with a different social and economic order, all 7½ billion of us could live in comfort without the benefit of activity that is onerous or distasteful.
I could go further and describe some of the distasteful work that workers are drawn into, by poverty and lack of opportunity. I could characterize it as dishonest, destrutive, often coercive or downright violent, benefiting the few who hold power and property and allowing them to continue dominating those who have little. I could decry the agenda of the elite and call out their militarism and intimidation...
I could, but instead I'll just remind you that our lives could be far more rewarding and less conflictual if we self-organized for peaceful, productive activity in harmony with nature.
Josh Mitteldorf, de-platformed senior editor at OpEdNews, blogs on aging at http://JoshMitteldorf.ScienceBlog.com. Read how to stay young at http://AgingAdvice.org.
Educated to be an astrophysicist, he has branched out from there to mathematical modeling in a variety of areas, including evolutionary ecology and economics. He has taught mathematics, statistics, and physics at several universities. He is an avid amateur pianist, and father of two adopted Chinese girls, now grown. He travels to Beijing each year to work with a lab studying the biology of aging. His book on the subject is "Cracking the Aging Code", http://tinyurl.com/y7yovp87.