I was a guest at the Dig journalism festival in Modena, Italy.
RSVPDo what you love, and you will not work a single day in your life: for decades this slogan has induced us to devote larger and larger parts of our existence to work in the hope that our dream job will make our lives fulfilling.
At a time in history when work is plagued by precariousness and low wages, little freedom of expression and increasingly stringent forms of control, it seems clear that the love of work is not enough to rescue our lives. On the contrary, it leaves them exhausted, exploited and lonely.What is wrong with work today?
Francesca Coin discusses this with Sarah Jaffe, author of the successful book Work Won’t Love You Back (Hurst, 2021). For Jaffe, “the biggest hoax of capital has been convincing us that work is our greatest love.” “Liberating love from labor,” however, “is the key to rebuilding the world.”