Pretty Gnostic Machine

The Weird Paradox: We could work less - but don't.

We already reached: productivity levels Keynes predicted for leisure

But instead: 👉 we kept working?!

#WorkParadox
#PostWork
#FutureOfWork
#AutomationEconomy
#MeaningOfWork
#FalseFreedom
#PoliticalEconomy

Mar 30 at 6:59pmPubler
Show threadlankohr1d ago
@PrettyGnosticMaschine Not only meant for entertainment production: https://mastodon.social/@lankohr/116317837685574658
Show threadlankohr1d ago
@PrettyGnosticMaschine The only work left is "Tikkun Olam".
Show threadPretty Gnostic Machine1d ago
@lankohr 👊
Show threadgsec1d ago
@PrettyGnosticMaschine
What is work?
If you could do purposeful work, it would give you, well, purpose. I guess we have to choose where productivity frees us, and where it enslaves us by driving our demands, ever reaching for more.
Show threadlankohr1d ago
@gsc @PrettyGnosticMaschine To me it seems pretty easy: Work to make a living, nourish your family (doesn't matter who it does). Care about your family. Avoid destructive/toxic beings. Then you live in harmony with "the dao"/"the logos"/"manitou", etc.
Show threadPretty Gnostic Machine1d ago

@gsc I really like how you put this. It helped me see the tension more clearly.. I think productivity can genuinely feel like purpose, but it also expands our wants and keeps us moving. So, even when we could slow down, the momentum is still there.

It also made me think about how this quietly ties into growth culture, work as identity, and that constant sense of needing more - the endless "more" logic shaping what we see as meaningful.

Show threadlankohr1d ago
@PrettyGnosticMaschine @gsc This reminds me of a german children's book: "Momo", by Michael Ende. There is infinite time ("god") but everybody is distracted by "something", he calls it "die grauen Herren", which leads to isolation. They seduce the humans to think "time is money" (like the white rabbit in wonderland). But in reality they waste time for nothing.
Edit: And there are so many parallels to a lot of other work putting the same pattern in different words.
Show threadgsec1d ago
@lankohr @PrettyGnosticMaschine
Productivity increase can do a lot of work I do want to be automated, other things I want to do on my own. Today we can accelerate many things beyond comprehension, so they slip away.
Momo, which I read as a child <3, fits so beautifully in here. The more eager you try to save your time, the faster the 'gray men' will burn through it.
Show threadPretty Gnostic Machine5h ago
@gsc @lankohr Totally agree. The tools save time, but the acceleration erodes experience- things pass before they can land. You end up with more output and less life.
Show threadPretty Gnostic Machine5h ago
@lankohr @gsc That's a great way to put it. I haven't read Momo, but that "time is money" idea definitely feels like a trap, like you end up optimizing your life right out of actually living it.
Show threadPretty Gnostic Machine1d ago

@gsc "I guess we have to choose where productivity frees us, and where it enslaves us by driving our demands, ever reaching for more."

Good point. I think that's exactly right. Productivity can free us by reducing necessity, but it can also trap us by constantly expanding what feels necessary.