One of the finest thinkers I have read in the modern times is David Graeber who sadly passed away this month, on the 6th of September to be precise. His magisterial book Debt - The First 5000 years , explored the origins of money - a means to quantize your debt ( to friends and strangers , the King and the Gods) he says. His book also reveals the violence that underpins all social interactions involving money. Ever the anarchic he also wrote - Bullshit Jobs - A Theory.
Towards the end of Debt he writes something that I have empathized with, maybe as a result of my intellectual and real laziness.
On talking about human industriousness he writes - “The problem is that it is becoming increasingly obvious that if we continue along these lines (increasing global output of goods and services by 5% every year) we’re likely to destroy everything.”
He then concludes -
“I would like, then, to end by putting in a good word for the non-industrious poor. At least they aren’t hurting anyone. Insofar as the time they are taking off from work is being spent with friends and family, enjoying and caring for those they love, they’re probably improving the world more than we acknowledge. Maybe we should think of them as pioneers of a new economic order that would not share our current one’s penchant for self-destruction.”