I heard that back in the days, people used to just go when their work was done on the farms and there was no concept of 9-5 (these days seem 24 hours work). There used to be a lot of holidays. Is that true? If it is, then given the abundance in technology, why our work hours increased and why do we have such weird lives that we live to work?

      • jtrek@startrek.website
        1·
        12 hours ago

        The people who do work don’t keep the profits of work. People who “own” stuff do.

        You have a guy who “owns” a factory. He pays some dudes to make widgets, market widgets, sell widgets. They all get $10 a day. They sell $200 of widgets a day. The guy who owns the operation, who’s probably just sitting at home, keeps all those profits. Capitalism.

        The workers decide they want more rights. Get paid in real money. Sick time. 8 hour days. Owner says nah. Workers go on strike. Owner gets the police or the army to break the strike with violence. Arrest any leaders they survive. Historical context of capitalism.

        Also the guy who owns the factory, maybe he just got it because his grand dad was friends with the king or something. Maybe they killed some natives and the state said the land is yours now.

      • Vanth@reddthat.comEnglish
        1·
        18 hours ago

        Bingo. Sort of. It includes a lot, to go with the massive breadth that the question entails.

    • blackn1ght@feddit.ukEnglish
      611·
      2 days ago

      Are there any other systems, or point in history, where a country’s population could live without working?

      • Vanth@reddthat.comEnglish
        162·
        2 days ago

        I don’t know whether to assume this question is in good faith or not. Can you restate what you think the OP is asking? It’s not about whether there was ever a time when no work was needed.

        I’m not interested in wasting my time against a sealion debating capitalism.

        • blackn1ght@feddit.ukEnglish
          92·
          2 days ago

          I’m not coming from a defence of capitalism. I’m just pointing out that people have had to work in some capacity to live all throughout history. People would still need to work to live under any system.

          • vapordays@leminal.spaceEnglish
            12·
            2 days ago

            I’m just pointing out that people have had to work in some capacity to live all throughout history. People would still need to work to live under any system.

            Nobody said otherwise.

            … the title in OP asked, “why do we live to work, rather than work to live?”

            The response was “capitalism.”

            So: precisely under (not-capitalism)… we could “work to live,” rather than “live to work.”

          • valar@lemmy.ca
            18·
            2 days ago

            That’s true, but the point is in the current system we’re working a lot harder than necessary in order to benefit a few people at the top

      • the_q@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        2 days ago

        Working in what context? There are native peoples all over the globe that work to live and not to enrich a single sociopath.