Lifestyle

From a certain perspective life in the West can seem bleak. Can you remember what life was like before 9/11? I can, it was not like this. As someone living in relative prosperity I can confirm that the situation has degenerated. People my age used be to buying houses and starting families, now we are content to get whatever dilapidated property we can rent. A mixture of inflation, cost of living rising and stagnant wages meant that people who cannot work in a booming sector such as tech and the like are facing a great deal of economic pressure.

Many people I know seem to be living out a sort of perpetual adolescence: living in shared housing indefinitely, barely owning anything of significant value, flitting from one romantic situation to another and working a low level job indefinitely. Some have clearly chosen this lifestyle self consciously, others have been forced into it by economic factors. For me the opposite choice: a mortgage, 2.2 kids in suburbia is equally unappealing.

Concerning those still living out an adolescent existence (myself included), the thing that causes me some sadness when I see such cases is that many of the people I speak do not seem to perceiving that anything is wrong, they remind me of the pig that wants to be eaten in Douglas Adam’s The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, they seem to deliberately want what is worse for them. Perhaps there is an element of snobbery behind these thoughts I still think there is truth in them.

However there are many positive aspects to our current situation, in the world in world of technology and cyberspace new almost utopian possibilities of communication and access to information have opened up that would have been unthinkable 20 years ago. Although it is impossible to compare such incommensurable factors such as sociological change and technological innovation, I think it is fair to say that compared to previous generations our the situation is a mixed one. The next recession that is coming will certainly force people into difficult choices it is unclear what the ultimate consequence of it will be.

The pandemic has changed how I view life, things that may have seemed valuable: a promotion, a new house and keeping up with the Jone’s may have lost their allure in the face of the devastation that Covid-19 has caused around the world. In the face of death what is truly important is brought into focus. The hubris of those who had made plans for 2020 based on a conception of all things being equal have had their illusions shattered. This can lead to the further realization that there is no reason something as catastrophic as the pandemic could happen again at any time. In the face of such uncertainty it is difficult to know how to react. To operate in state of perpetual preparedness is exhausting, especially given the infinite number of possible scenarios that one could be faced with. To do nothing seems ridiculous, but what to do is not any easy question to answer. Those who do not have the head space for such deliberations simply move forwards automatically, like fish going downstream.

Work

A positive side effect of the pandemic is that for those that can work remotely a large vista of options has opened up without having to escape 9-5. Being able work remotely means that the employee can access vast extra swathes of time to do whatever activity they please which they would have had to use commuting. Perhaps there will now be a renaissance of people using these opportunities to expand their lives and engage in interest that would have previously been impractical. The compromise between having to live somewhere near the office and somewhere that is pleasant place to live has been removed. The balance of power in between the employer and employee has decisively shifted in the employee’s favor. Once working from home has been conceded the expectation that the employee be constantly at their desk during office hours is no longer reasonable. People no longer have to subjected to the smells, small talk and interruptions of co workers they were forced to spend time with in the office. Further, it is now possible to work multiple jobs at the same time without anyone knowing and double your income. This new situation also benefits many businesses as they are able to save money on renting large office spaces and travel due to remote work. In light of this, I do not see an enforced return to the office in the future.

The waves of resignations made by employees around the world is a clear signal that they want a better deal and are no longer satisfied with their work. The precise reasons are somewhat unclear but this excellent video sheds some light on the topic:

During the pandemic I asked myself what I was doing with my life many times. Countless others may have thought the same. Difficult times remind us of the shortness of life and how we must sometimes take a risk to escape a bad situation. Further, it is my belief that the amount of stress the pandemic placed on people has meant they had less tolerance for things they would have otherwise put up with. One of these being a job they dislike. In addition, in western world due to imbalance of young versus old people the actual labour force has shrunk leading to in some cases more pressure on fewer people to do the work required. Contrastingly, the increase in remote working has lead to the labor market for many jobs becoming truly global for many sectors. This dynamic gives workers more negotiating power than before. Companies that have a bad culture and are unable to retain staff will be punished by people leaving. When so many people’s agency was taken away by government restrictions they could at least still exercise their will by choosing who they work for. Further, those that can may have sought to leave the labor force altogether. However, I am not trying to glamorize the pandemic, whilst some have been blessed with new opportunities, others have suffered death, loss of work, self esteem and devastation.

In conclusion, I think the legacy of the pandemic is yet to be decided. Although most of the world has now mostly recovered there have are major outbreaks recently in China and elsewhere, so Covid-19 may still be with us for some time to come. I wish I could travel forwards in time to see what historians of the future will think of this time and us; I fear they will have few positive things to say. Especially in light of our decisions during the pandemic to so easily trade liberty for the perception of safety.