this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2024
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Showerthoughts
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A "Showerthought" is a simple term used to describe the thoughts that pop into your head while you're doing everyday things like taking a shower, driving, or just daydreaming. A showerthought should offer a unique perspective on an ordinary part of life.
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I'm almost exactly 10 years older than you, and had similar thoughts heading into college. This is what I learned about those thoughts.
I wanted to avoid an office job, thinking that they're all bullshit and soul sucking. What I've learned is that mental and emotional labor is just as variable as physical labor. The soul sucking still happens as it would in any physical job, but I learned that you need to find something that sucks less than the others and then fight against it. My method of fighting back was to organize a union, but there are other ways as well.
You, as an individual, will need to learn coping mechanisms to stave off the doomerism. I learned a lot of these independently, but this image is a perfect representation of my affirmations and how I remember that I'm more than my job.
These affirmations do not all clash with capitalism. I also don't agree with all of them, not all jobs are real and valid. We had a guy at work, nephew of the boss, who was facility manager... from abroad. Also got payed way too much and was bought out when the company was taken over. It was not a real job, it was nepotism and he was handsomely rewarded all along the way for doing absolutely nothing while we all had to pick up the slag. Life isn't fair or equal and cheaters get rewarded. These affirmations work for them too, because cheaters can also just happily define their own worth and their own succesfullness and it'll be good for their soul. So these rules are not the holy grail, there is no such thing. Just common sense and good conscience.
Well of course not all of them are going to be antithetical to capital. Affirmations are to remind you of positive thoughts without being toxic. They serve to remind you that life is more than making money for someone else.
I also don't believe that we should discount someone's work because the owner got involved. Like it sucks to see someone younger than you get handed everything and more that you've struggled to earn, but it's less to do with the person being given the stuff and more to do with the person doing the giving.