Life, put simply, is all about status. I recently read W. David Marx’s book Status and Culture —thanks Bryce Ferguson for the rec—and that fact was my clear takeaway. The book subtly changed how I look at the world; when you start to pay attention, status dictates nearly everything in our lives.

In the book, Marx argues that:

1. There is no human

... See more

Nobody wants to think that their jobs are bullshit no matter how true it is. A corporate communications manager doesn’t wake up thinking “I do meaningless work.” They have a title, a salary, a sense of purpose, and a place in the social hierarchy. Their identity is wrapped up in that job, bullshit or not.

Here was an existence, brand new to our species, that was defined by tightly controlled routines, bounded by regular shifts and rewarded with regular pay. Individual workers became easily replaceable parts in a massive machine.

Today, when we’re still so young we’ve barely had the chance to register we’re alive, we’re pushed into an education system... See more