To be productive, according to the Oxford dictionary, is to
‘Produce large amounts of goods, crops, or other commodities.’
With so many of us basing our entire self-worth on how productive we’ve been (i.e., on how much we’ve produced- on how much we’ve produced yet they’ve benefitted from…), it really is no wonder then that so many of us, in turn, feel so devoid of hope in life…
How Productivity Upholds Capitalism (& Vice Versa)
Welcome To The Rat Race…
Productivity is a product of production- when we are in the ‘cycle’ of production, whether as the one doing the producing itself (the producer), or as the one consuming the production (the consumer), when we engage with it, we are contributing to the wholly unforgiving capitalist economy. Why? Because, when production is rooted in capitalism (in order to feel ‘productive enough’, we are told that we need to work more, this being the very thing [working] which keeps capitalism upheld), we remain stuck in a loop that keeps us, the workers, at the bottom of society, whilst they, the top 1%, are kept at the top…
Why don’t we ‘jump off’ the metaphorical ‘loop?’, because, under a capitalist system, we have no choice but to work to live- everything costs money, and so, we can’t not engage with it.
It’s important to note here that productivity itself is not the problem (without being productive we wouldn’t be alive. We need to make food and exercise and engage in the things that we enjoy for our mental health, if for nothing else) the problem is the bartering that goes on that keeps us stuck in a rat race.
Even when we get sick, we can’t rest, not properly, for what’s the first thing that we have to think about? Work. Ringing in sick, getting a sick note so that we don’t lose our jobs. ‘Will I lose my job? I can’t lose my job. When can I go back to work?’ We are completely blindsided by the fact that, in many cases, it was work that got us into such a dire state in the first place… But don’t worry about that. You’ll be back at work in no time. Just take this tablet and the capitalist machine (i.e., you) will be revitalised and ready for round two!!’
In Plain Sight
Fortunately, in the UK we have a national health service which means that we don’t have to pay to receive health care, but in many other countries around the world, the US being the most notable example, if people get ill and can’t afford treatment, they are essentially left to die.
At least in the UK, the government tries to hide the fact that they prioritise money over human life (arguably, they don’t do a very good job at it, but points for trying I suppose). In the US, they don’t even try to hide it.
‘If you have money, you deserve to live, if you don’t, you deserve to die.’
Are We Our Own Worst Critic?
The fact that we are judged based on our productivity, not just by our bosses at work, but even by ourselves, at home, is a sure-fire signifier that capitalism really has seeped into every element of our lives…
What should be our ‘down time’, a time for us to do the things that we love for the sole reason that we love them, not because we love the monetary rewards that they give us, (you know, those things that were once known as ‘hobbies’), has become just another productivity seeking opportunity. A side hustle, maybe, a chore, definitely, all the things that we used to do to recharge ultimately end up depleting us even further.
Human Beings Are, Ironically, The Only Species That Refuses To Allow Themselves To Just ‘Be’…
Consider every other species on the planet besides humans. Looking out of my window right now as I write this, I can see three birds delicately balancing on a tree branch at the end of my garden.
What do birds do with their days? They spend them looking for food, looking for nest material (time of year dependent), just being. We are the only species that prioritises ‘doing’ over ‘being’, which is ironic really, when you think about it… We are human beings, yet we rarely, if ever, allow ourselves to just ‘be’.
How Can We Stop Prioritising Productivity Above All Else?
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely that we will ever go completely anti-capitalist. As much as I relish the idea of living in such a utopia, having been in place for hundreds of years, its removal would require an overhaul of literally everything we know, and when the people in power (i.e., the government) who can initiate such a move benefit from the system, it will never happen… What we can do, though, is recognise what capitalism is.
⦁ Focus on eradicating your internalised capitalism
We can learn to ‘cut ties’ with the association we make in our minds of our self worth being determinable by how ‘productive’ we have been, and lean in to our worth as human beings with nothing to prove, reminding ourselves that we are worthy of everything good in the world simply by virtue of us being alive.
Portfolio of Hope 