What’s the point in working if you can’t meet your basic needs?

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The original was posted on /r/antiwork by /u/Logical_Narwhal_9911 on 2024-06-21 17:55:45+00:00.

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I work for USPS as a full time regular city carrier.

My partner and I are splitting up and I'm looking at rent around me and I'm concerned that I can't afford anything.

In my area I'm looking at private rooms, studios, and one bedroom apartments and they're going for 1100-1400. I'm literally seeing private rooms for go for $1400/mo.

That's about what I make every two weeks. That would make rent half of my income - for a room. Not a while apartment, not a house. A room.

It could be worse but how am I supposed to save money for a future and for emergencies? How am I going to afford to even do anything outside of work, or eat well or eventually date again? Forget about a house or kids. Everything feels unattainable.

It feels so ridiculous to work full time, as a federal employee and struggle with finances, working paycheck to paycheck.

It makes me wonder what's the point of working? I dont love my job, it doesn't fulfill me, and it barely fulfills my necessities.

I basically deliver trash all day. Junk mail that people just put right into their garbage. Think of all the resources it takes just for us to do this? The energy required to manufacture the envelopes, paper, boxes etc, power our plants, offices, vehicles, etc. all for (almost) nothing IMO. I'm just wasting my one precious life.

I know I can work more and make more money but not only do I not want to work more than 40hrs per week, because I want to have a life, I feel I shouldn't have to work that much just to survive.

I can have roomates, but again that's still expensive and I'm 33, I don't want roomates.

And as a regular carrier, I will get regular raises, but there's no where up for me, this is it. And I have a degree.

I'm also really bothered by how difficult it must be for everyone else. People who don't make as much as I do, who don't have the education or opportunities or privileges I have.

We've created an incredibly unjust and hyper individualized society that devalues human life. We're the wealthiest and most advanced society in the existence of humanity and yet we have record amounts of homeless and impoverished people and it's getting worse day by day.

I think we're fucked.