It’s true that we’ll have to make significant sacrifices, but we also have so much to gain, and I’d argue that the things that we have to gain are more important than the things we have to lose. Right now, we financially support our families at the cost of not spending time with them. We pursue education only by mortgaging our future in student loan debt. We need Netflix only because we require a disconnect from a world that’s destroying itself and forcing us to participate, and it’s not even that fun. We cling to the convenience of plastic and cars at the expense of livable cities and the Earth itself. Even this fucking phone that I’m typing on makes me sad and mad so often. I fucking hate this thing.

What are the memories you cherish? For me, it’s big feasts at family reunion, or mountain summits in the winter, or finishing a huge renovation project, or days with my grandma before she passed. We don’t have to give up any of those things. In fact, we should demand more of those, and less time actively destroying our bodies and our planet in order to enrich shareholders. There will always be work, but there’s currently so much of it, a lot of which is bullshit, and the wealth we create is hoarded by greedy fucks who aren’t just stealing your labor, but your time with your grandma or on mountaintops.

We need to change our society such that we can decide what matters together. It’s the only way through this crisis. That’s why I’m a member of several socialist organizations. It’s why I left my job and founded a worker cooperative. There will be big changes, but we should share in the costs and the benefits together, from each according to their ability, and to each according to their needs.