The total domination of people by labor is such that, when given time off of work, they feel useless. That is the situation we find ourselves in amidst the global outbreak of COVID-19.
But this isn’t the result of some inherent propensity for people to want to be productive—it is the reflection of the logic of commodity production on people’s consciousness. Time not spent creating value is structurally useless in capitalist society, and so this free time appears useless in the reified consciousness of the modern commodity-subject.
The development of capitalism means the death of all hobbies. All activity that is not value creating is meaningless, according to capitalism, so people have no idea to do with themselves when they are temporarily liberated from the compulsion to go to work. Left to our own devices, most of us will get drunk, spend hours in front of a TV and scroll endlessly on our phones. Maybe it is time to ask grandma for a crochet needle and some yarn.
Or, maybe, it is a good time to reflect on what activities bring us excitement, joy, satisfaction, or relaxation. If nothing rings a bell, we can think about things we see other people doing that arouse our interests.
Granted, most people are now confined to their house, but this shouldn’t be much of a deterrence. Surely there are things around the house that have been neglected for too long. The hard part is realizing that they are worth engaging with.
Of course, there’s always the option of non-activity, the mortal sin of capitalist modernity. But this requires a bravery and discipline we are severely lacking today. What happens when you turn off your phone, the TV, and just sit down somewhere and wrestle with your thoughts? For most, just the thought of this brings about a terrible sense of fear. Unfortunately, the only way to overcome this is to confront it head on.
Oliver Blackwell 