We live in an era of “total work”, populated by The Worker. Our profession is our religion, our sin is our lifelessness, to paraphrase Bob Dylan. Internalizing Weber, we live to work. For some this is long hours at the office, others it is social activism. Those like me feel the ever present need to
I don't believe The Worker can't become the gentleman. The ant can't transform into a bird, much like a man can't become a woman. As you said, it's an inborn instinct in the Worker, and we have a culture of workers who are already convinced they are aristocrats, or a world where the Worker is the elite. All the worker does is outcompete the Gentleman for space to provide for their leisure. The Worker, after all, is better at work, and will be chosen every time over the Gentleman. The Gentleman is relegated to a struggle for money which is difficult for him, as the type can't become self-motivated for work, only for a leisure that is increasingly out of his reach. As an additional contrarian take, I might as you what the Gentleman, the warrior, might be doing today to sublimate his desire for battle outside a machine-like military. It might be something you denigrated in this piece. Who knows.
It's a Christian way of life to find joy around the world, and not to get caught up with the mechanical needs of survival. Brilliant article!
I don't believe The Worker can't become the gentleman. The ant can't transform into a bird, much like a man can't become a woman. As you said, it's an inborn instinct in the Worker, and we have a culture of workers who are already convinced they are aristocrats, or a world where the Worker is the elite. All the worker does is outcompete the Gentleman for space to provide for their leisure. The Worker, after all, is better at work, and will be chosen every time over the Gentleman. The Gentleman is relegated to a struggle for money which is difficult for him, as the type can't become self-motivated for work, only for a leisure that is increasingly out of his reach. As an additional contrarian take, I might as you what the Gentleman, the warrior, might be doing today to sublimate his desire for battle outside a machine-like military. It might be something you denigrated in this piece. Who knows.