I really like different
aspects of Bellamy and Morris’ futuristic societies. If I could combine them into
one place, I think it would work out. Overall, I really like both approaches to
work in the readings. In Bellamy’s world, people don’t start working until the
age of 21 and they stop at the age of 45. Sign me up! You’re educated until the
age of 21, which is typically when an undergraduate is done, and then you start
working. No summer job between academic years, no juggling a job while also
going to school. That sounds like bliss. And being able to stop working at the
age of 45—fully stopping at 55—is a double bonus. I was stuck by the
conversation we had at the beginning of the semester about how people are always
so busy and multitasking all the time. I really like the idea that you are learning
or working at one time; being able to fully focus on one or the other guarantees
that you’ll get more out of it.
The only thing that
could make 24 years of work better is Morris’ idea that all work is
pleasurable. Morris notes that work is “a pleasure which we are afraid of
losing, not a pain” (chapter 15), which isn’t the case in the society we live
in. So many people get stuck with jobs that they do not enjoy simply because
they need money. Graduating from college terrifies me because I have no idea
what I’ll be doing with my life. If I lived in a society that was structured in
such a way that everyone had an education and a job that they found to be
enjoyable, then I would be a happy Taylor.
I also really like
Bellamy’s idealistic view that “the right of a man to maintenance at the
nation's table depends on the fact that he is a man, and not on the amount of
health and strength he may have, so long as he does his best” (chapter 12).
Being treated fairly for doing your best seems like such a simple idea, but it’s
really not. People always want more, and if what someone has to offer isn’t up
to their standards, they find it somewhere else. Society is praised for
reaching beyond its limits and overexerting itself. I think being able to say, “This
is my best and it’s good enough” is a powerful thing. It’s also important to
note that Bellamy’s Boston doesn’t allow people to give anything less than
their best. In a society that is practically run by the people, that is
crucial. The network sustaining the society can’t work if some people decide
they don’t have to give it their all.
Bellamy and Morris both
point out that people choose to work because they know they will gain more by
working than by not. I’m not sure if this sentiment bears truth. I think there
will always be people in society that are not determined to rely on others to
help them through rather than taking care of themselves. But if I could live in
a society where I only work 24 years at a job that was pleasurable, I would
sign the dotted line and not look back.
Inasmuch as I agree that this system would be paradisaical, I found that it involved a lot of wishful thinking. If we're going to assume that everyone loves to work, we might as well go back to Ovid's Age of Saturn, and assume that no one is evil either.
ReplyDeleteI didn't like these worlds in general, as there are too many things that could go wrong at any stage. We could forgive St. Benedict and Thomas More, because they used philosophy and religion to make work pleasurable. But as Morris never touches religion, but uses economics alone to distribute labor, it's very hard to see what's supposed to motivate his society.
Is this real life? I just made a whole comment and hit publish and it went away. In my established Utopia, there would be no technology and this would never happen. So I guess round two it is.
ReplyDeleteAmen hallelujah to the work set up (referring to the 21/45 deal.) However I really think anyone can choose the job that makes them happy now, just as they could in this utopian society. It's just a matter of how much work you put into achieving what needs to be done to get there. Certainly there are unfortunate circumstances and external factors such as financial and others that slow the process, but anyone has the same opportunity if they create their own circumstances. (Reading Mrs. Warren's profession in Modedrn Wasteland has stuck with me, can ya tell?) Also I kind of prefer that it's harder now to do something that makes you happy, because you have to work harder for it. Builds character and character builds better people and better people build a better world.
Is this real life? I just made a whole comment and hit publish and it went away. In my established Utopia, there would be no technology and this would never happen. So I guess round two it is.
ReplyDeleteAmen hallelujah to the work set up (referring to the 21/45 deal.) However I really think anyone can choose the job that makes them happy now, just as they could in this utopian society. It's just a matter of how much work you put into achieving what needs to be done to get there. Certainly there are unfortunate circumstances and external factors such as financial and others that slow the process, but anyone has the same opportunity if they create their own circumstances. (Reading Mrs. Warren's profession in Modedrn Wasteland has stuck with me, can ya tell?) Also I kind of prefer that it's harder now to do something that makes you happy, because you have to work harder for it. Builds character and character builds better people and better people build a better world.