Less Work, More Living, by Juliet Schor for The Daily Good
Adding this article to the resource listing I had included within my own flag-waving about this subject: On the 20-hour work week: All in favor? Do you recall reading it?
It’s an inventive call to action:
Let’s shift what we value in society today, by shifting to the 20-hour work week.
The argument behind this proposal, is that our 40-hour work week has been our convention, but convention isn’t unquestionable fact. Convention isn’t necessarily right, and it may not be that good for us anymore — Was it ever?
What I love about this Daily Good article, is that Juliet Schor goes zooming past the first close-minded “yeah, but” people tend to bring up on compensation, for fact of the matter is, we need to get over it, and move on.
Earn less, spend less, emit and degrade less. That’s the formula. The more time a person has, the better his or her quality of life, and the easier it is to live sustainably.
People are returning to lost arts practiced by earlier generations—woodworking, quilting, brewing beer, and canning and preserving. They are also hunting, fishing, and sewing. People engage in these activities because they enjoy them and they yield better-quality products or products that are not easily available.
Add her concept of ‘self-provisioning’ to your vocabulary, and more importantly, to your intentions.
