Freeing Up Energy
Sunsetting Projects As An Act of Love and Gratitute
Saying goodbye feels difficult for me.
Perhaps it is a part of how our human architecture is built, that we get a big dopamine hit from starting something new. And yet, when it’s time to let go, some of us hang on. It is such a rush to start a new project, right?
This Substack was borne of my belief that ALL people need to have less obligation to work 40+ hour workweeks that serve the capitalist “beast,” and not our families and communities. I still strongly belief in this ethos. But I’m now seeing ways in which this elusive 30 hour standard work week is not necessarily the answer.
It might well be 20 hours (or less) will become the new norm as A.I. continues to transform our working lives. In fact, my friend Laura Pritchard recommended a podcast to me that opened my eyes about this. Dropping the link here, in case you are fascinated with theories about how the workforce will change with A.I. as our wingman.
I’m not sure I agree that it will cost next to nothing to make things in the future. Also, I disagree with Mo’s predictions on a move toward disembodiment that he speaks about in the final portion of this podcast. However, his explanation of “labor arbitrage” really helped me see how the current economy is going. In short, global labor arbitrage has meant that many companies had incentive to move operations to places where labor costs are much lower.
This continues to displace workers in higher cost countries and regions. It is often the reason government leaders give for practices like imposing tariffs. They imply that manufacturing will return to the United States, once it costs too much to acquire goods elsewhere. It’s a pipe dream. We all know it.
Perhaps the funniest take on it was Dave Chappelle (fyi, he uses some offensive language in this video, but I think it captures the point well).
We are watching some big, systemic factors work themselves out in the economy at the moment. We may witness an even larger wave of contraction of hours than we can currently conceive, given the pace of technological advances. But something tells me it will not impact everyone equally.
Experiments with Universal Basic Income (UBI) have shown us that it is possible to fund some of the Essential Labor that’s not compensated at the present time. While it’s unlikely to completely cover this type of work, I believe it may provide a floor that helps offset time for child care and elder care. Too many of us feel like we must forfeit income to navigate often unpredicable family needs.
For now, I see many new ways to approach work that will likely begin with businesses running their own experiments. We may need to rely more on this ingenuity as governments may not act fast enough to implement the visions we imagine. They also do not necessarily act for the common good with their policies.
We may need to form circles of support and networks of care in the meantime. Many people have already begun doing this. I believe this will expand, as we understand the necessity to re-engage in community in meaningful ways.
I’ll admit, as someone who loves outsourcing grocery shopping, it may require some adjustments to how I think. Just because meal planning feels like tyranny to me doesn’t mean a neighbor doesn’t love it or consider it a superpower. Hallelujah.
For now, I have decided to “sunset” this newsletter so that I can turn my attention back to my main focus (Somatic Wisdom, via Substack and the podcast). I’ll also be collaborating with my brilliant friend Patrick Geary✨ on tapping into cyclical ways of embodying cosmic energy.
If you’d like to stay in touch, I encourage you to check out these spaces. At some point, I may figure out how to archive these posts to my main Substack.
In the meantime, I want to say a HUGE thank you to those who have been following this journey with similar curiosity about the future workforce.
I hope you find ways to free your energy to pursue your heart’s desires as I will continue to do. Be well.
