I feel you with existing tech, my phone will probably last me quite a while even though folding phones are pretty cool. I might have some software suggestions for contributing to phone development, but I’m not particularly interested in that either.
If we had a library economy, I’d seek out other areas I’m passionate about and contribute my piece there instead. I feel like I have a lot to contribute to computer science, and would love to drive innovation in that area. I also like my current job. I’d continue to do what I do now, even without the coercive force of money; though I’d probably scale back my working hours. Instead of asking yourself “why would I contribute to that”, ask yourself “what do I want to contribute to”. That’s the idea behind a library economy in a moneyless society.
My problem in that regard would be that there is nothing that I’m passionate about.
Sure, I have 100s of different interests that I have dabbled with, but for all of them, I have stopped at some point, before forgetting about them entirely or picking them up again sometimes years later.
That’s ok too! You shouldn’t be compelled to work on something you don’t want to, and you shouldn’t face homelessness for wanting to take extensive breaks from performing labor. You should also be able to freely contribute to whatever has your attention at that moment. Library economies are highly adaptive to the needs of people, and there’s always room for more help.
What rockslayer said isn’t wrong but I want to add a little.
On the side of having no specific passions, you can absolutely choose to contribute with your labor on whatever needs the most help. We’ll still need janitors and bus drivers and construction workers and countless other tasks that have value to society that don’t have to include innovation. But if you do have an idea when you’re on the job you have the opportunity to suggest that without a boss ignoring you or someone stealing it to profit themselves. Because bosses and profit wouldn’t exist.
And if you do develop a random interest, it would be much easier to talk with experts in that field which might stir a passion that was previously stifled under capitalist cost of entry or its need to to turn it into a profitable endeavor. And you could easier step back from whatever job you were previously doing without fear of losing your livelihood, and it would even be easier to go back to said job if the passion didn’t stick.
I feel you with existing tech, my phone will probably last me quite a while even though folding phones are pretty cool. I might have some software suggestions for contributing to phone development, but I’m not particularly interested in that either.
If we had a library economy, I’d seek out other areas I’m passionate about and contribute my piece there instead. I feel like I have a lot to contribute to computer science, and would love to drive innovation in that area. I also like my current job. I’d continue to do what I do now, even without the coercive force of money; though I’d probably scale back my working hours. Instead of asking yourself “why would I contribute to that”, ask yourself “what do I want to contribute to”. That’s the idea behind a library economy in a moneyless society.
My problem in that regard would be that there is nothing that I’m passionate about.
Sure, I have 100s of different interests that I have dabbled with, but for all of them, I have stopped at some point, before forgetting about them entirely or picking them up again sometimes years later.
That’s ok too! You shouldn’t be compelled to work on something you don’t want to, and you shouldn’t face homelessness for wanting to take extensive breaks from performing labor. You should also be able to freely contribute to whatever has your attention at that moment. Library economies are highly adaptive to the needs of people, and there’s always room for more help.
What rockslayer said isn’t wrong but I want to add a little.
On the side of having no specific passions, you can absolutely choose to contribute with your labor on whatever needs the most help. We’ll still need janitors and bus drivers and construction workers and countless other tasks that have value to society that don’t have to include innovation. But if you do have an idea when you’re on the job you have the opportunity to suggest that without a boss ignoring you or someone stealing it to profit themselves. Because bosses and profit wouldn’t exist.
And if you do develop a random interest, it would be much easier to talk with experts in that field which might stir a passion that was previously stifled under capitalist cost of entry or its need to to turn it into a profitable endeavor. And you could easier step back from whatever job you were previously doing without fear of losing your livelihood, and it would even be easier to go back to said job if the passion didn’t stick.
That’s what we want, to make work a choice.