What Would You Do With Your Life?
A few days ago, a conversation took place in my house over lunch that began something like, “Everything is pointless”. Yes, we are living through that stage of the pandemic where every day feels like a nihilistic battle. But this particular exchange, fortunately, turned out to be quite thought-provoking rather than miserably defeatist, despite how it sounds.
My partner, Logan, and I began talking specifically about our work, and how what we each do could seem pointless to someone from outside of our fields. I can just hear some corporate, high-salary-driven executive questioning why I would dedicate my life to, what he might consider to be, a dying art; i.e. playing old music that’s already been played millions of times for not much money (yes, in my head he is a he). Even more, perhaps his next question would be why I would do work that I didn’t enjoy just so that I could afford to keep playing this old music. Although the answer is simple - money - this is an interesting question!
Logan, a scientist, remembers a conversation he had with a professor, who once told him that if he didn’t have to worry about grants and funding, he would be spending his life doing much different research - really ‘out-there’ research that nobody else had thought about, the kind that doesn’t exactly lend itself to funding agencies.
We started imagining a world where people only did the work they were most interested in. Scientists investigated brand new, far-fetched theories, musicians played the music that was most meaningful and important to them, chefs only cooked the food that they were excited about, journalists reported on the stories closest to their hearts. What would this world look like? Well, to start with, concert tickets would probably be pretty expensive. But imagine an audience made up of people who desperately wanted to be there and catch every single note, instead of people who didn’t much care and ended up asleep in the third row. What if all of the incredibly talented actors that are currently working as waitstaff were able to support themselves by producing wonderful and creative plays and films, which in turn would be consumed by people who were fascinated to watch them and could afford to do so by doing work that they also loved. And what if our towns and cities were full of curious little shops and businesses, established by people with long-forgotten passions.
I know I know, I can hear you saying, “But Freya, that is not a functional society! We need workers in all sectors for our economy to work”. I have one word for you: robots. If the robots worked in the factories, in the banks, in the fast-food restaurants, played the background music for the gigs, flew planes, drove taxis, cleaned toilets, built houses… it would leave us humans room to do the things we actually wanted to do for work and cultivate a society rich in culture and strong in values. And this idea is not new or revolutionary, it’s happening as we speak - whether we like it or not, robots are being trained to do the work of millions, and do a better job too.
“OK”, you say, “but people still have to earn money to pay rent and buy food. How are we going to pay wages for all of these artists and entrepreneurs?” Easy. Universal basic income.
The question then remains; with no obligation to earn a certain paycheck, or demonstrate what you have achieved at the annual review meeting, what would YOU do with your life?
A Few Interesting Things
This article about changing how and when we work from the New Yorker coincided with my conversation with Logan, mentioned above, and I found it interesting to consider alongside my thoughts on this whole subject.
’When we own more of our time, we feel like we’re in charge of our lives and our schedules, which makes us happier and, ultimately, better at what we do. Our health and happiness also increases in the course of our lifetimes and, with it, our value to the workplace and to society as a whole.’‘Homegoing’, by Yaa Gyasi, was a powerful and tremendously written novel. It follows the lineage across centuries of two half-sisters, separated at birth, from the Gold Coast through the American Civil War to Harlem.
I recorded some impromptu Telemann Fantasie during my practice a few days ago. It was a lot of fun. A good example of what I would spend my time doing if I didn’t have to work.
‘Bring Back the Nervous Breakdown’ was an interesting article from The Atlantic about how necessary a full break-down could actually be, where we might be forced into stopping everything and recharging ourselves instead of trying to keep powering through.
The interview with FKA Twigs where she speaks about her relationship with Shia LaBeouf was shocking and painful, and yet sadly believable. That guy is not an artist. He is a creep and an abuser.
‘Call My Agent’ was exactly the charming, light-hearted, smart, and cool French drama that I didn’t know I needed to be watching.
Although I didn’t make them, I ate these scrambled eggs yesterday and can attest they really are the best.
I’m quite fascinated and inspired by second daughter, Ella Emhoff, and her own collection of knitwear!
I found an old video by Vox about ‘How highways wrecked American cities’ which was extremely insightful. So much of how this country is structured is based on its geography and that is why it simply cannot be compared to other countries, especially European ones.
This photo of beloved Alan Rickman from the National Portrait Gallery, to celebrate his birthday.
”If people want to know who I am, it is all in the work…”
It is all in the work. Thanks for reading, friends. Catch you later x
