Recent comments in /f/Showerthoughts

pebblebrusher t1_je1mn8s wrote

I’m with you there. I am very grateful. I live an insanely privileged life, and because of my starting point as a white upper middle class man, it has been easier for me to work hard and succeed in a traditional capitalist sense. I am certain that I would have had huge hurdles to overcome if I had been born to poverty.

Your point makes sense in a true meritocracy, which does not exist in the US.

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crazy_gurl1001 t1_je1mmh4 wrote

It absolutely does not indicate that there’s a higher power. I personally do not believe in that, but I do believe in the universe and everything happens for a reason. We were put here to live and love. I’m sorry you don’t see that, and also you saying we make our own reasons kinda dictates what you’re saying lol. We definitely are here for reasons, you just have to find yours:)

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shadowscale1229 t1_je1m6c0 wrote

being put here for a reason implies a higher power. humanity does not exist for any reason other than we evolved from other hominids and became smart enough to make fire, and then used fire to make better things.

so yeah, we don't exist for any reason. however, we make our own personal reason to exist.

mine is spite

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DoktoroKiu t1_je1liku wrote

How so? The universe must also be guilty of coercing us to work for our survival, then, too.

There are many problems with capitalist society, but any functional society will involve some type of exchange of labor for goods and services needed to survive. Be it a paycheck from a wealthy capitalist business owner, or a contract you enter into with your community in an anarchist society, you will be "coerced" into being a useful part of society one way or another.

The only way you would never be compelled to work would be by the charity of others, or whenever we've managed to fully automate everything so that no human labor is required.

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pebblebrusher t1_je1l6lg wrote

Wow that’s a bleak outlook man. We’re all in it together. I think the point they were making is that we are coerced into making decisions because we have basic needs for survival that aren’t readily available to us without engaging in our capitalist system. When we have enough food and housing to feed the hungry and house the homeless, yet that doesn’t happen, we need to question the system we function under.

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pyrotechniks t1_je1kpti wrote

This breaks my heart. Why can't family just be supportive. Especially a grandparent, aren't they supposed to "spoil" their grandkids just a little bit? I hope your mom has a change of heart and deemphasizes that myth of hustle culture and limitless hard work.

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char-le-magne t1_je1klfm wrote

A lot of those people only have to keep working because of scheduled obsolescence that's slowly killing the planet. A lot of us could do a greater share of that life sustaining work and still have more free time if there wasn't so much busy work.

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