Matisyahu's Blog

I had my two days working in the office and now I’m back at home for work on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday the schedule is going to be a bit hectic but Sunday should be pretty quiet. I think that the first week back in the office has been a bit disruptive to the usual flow of things but next week I think things will settle down and I’ll get into the groove of things so that eventually it becomes a normal routine again. On a good side though the availability of a good coffee machine makes working a whole lot more enjoyable with the quality being similar to that of getting one from a barista.

I was watching a video about the male loneliness and I think that is not being discussed is the lack of meaning, purpose and/or validation unless one has a partner. If your whole existence is predicated on the idea of having a partner to give you meaning then it shouldn’t be surprising that there are men angry at the world because they’re unable to get the very thing they believe will give them meaning. Maybe what is required is maybe introducing young people to philosophy from an early age, celebrating healthy forms of spirituality and religious communities.

This is the problem I have with the ‘angry atheist’ movement where the community that may have existed in traditional religious structures is slowly disappearing and now there is a void being filled by political opportunists who see these angry Gen Z men as foot soldiers in their culture war. Steve Bannon talked exactly about that when talking about angry gamers as being an untapped political force that could be mobilised for Trump. Well, they went out, voted for Trump and a year later these Gen Z men are realising that they’re just as miserable as before if not worse with the only ones benefiting are those at the top end of town.

The right are still trying to stoke the fires of culture wars and scapegoating but at some point I think even the most devout are quickly going to wake up to the fact that all the distractions aren’t going to change the fact that their material conditions have gotten worse not better. Maybe like an alcoholic we’ll see Gen Z men who fell for the chauvinism of the right will realise that they were used but the question is whether there is there is a health alternative created instead. Part of the reason why I’ve talked about rebuilding unions, social clubs and having a work/life balance so that relationships outside of work can be maintained.

When you’ve been working all week and by the time the weekend comes you’re absolutely exhausted both physically and mentally. We’re working longer hours for less pay and the quality of life is suffering so in the limited amount of time we do have then it shouldn’t be surprising that people engage in the few bits of self indulgence they can afford – a streaming service, maybe ordering some take aways a few times but other than that the ability to socialise by going to a social club or a group created around a particular interest eg stamp collecting is almost non-existent.

That doesn’t even touch on the bigger issue of how ever hobby cannot apparently remain as a hobby – it has to be turned into a side hustle resulting where social clubs coming together around a shared interest cease existing as those involved see the other as competitors to their side hustle rather than friends who share a common interest. Yes, and I’ll say it, it all comes back to capitalism.