The term “wage slave” has been in use for almost two centuries in one way or another. In its initial form, it was used to refer to people who—although they were paid for their work—were treated in all other ways like slaves.
More recently, it has come to be used less discriminatory. People will use it to refer to their own situation. Individuals who work for themselves will also use it, disparagingly, to refer to those who work for a salary.
Let’s be clear. Working for a weekly or monthly wage in the modern day is so far removed from what slavery is, the two things do not compare. Indeed, many people work long hours and are underpaid. Many do not have all the rights they could reasonably expect. Working conditions are far from being as perfect as we could hope.
None of this makes you a wage slave if you are working for an employer. Now, here’s the key thing: Does that mean that if you are in a paying job, you should be pathetically grateful for the opportunity? Should you put up and shut up? No way.
It’s Okay To Feel Like You Should Have More
Many of us work for employers in jobs that don’t offer much in the way of mental stimulation. We can feel like the job we are in is going nowhere. Perhaps most familiar to you will be the idea that while your job isn’t too arduous or your conditions too grim, the hours make it suffocating.
You think “I’d like to do more with my life.” However, you’re up early in the morning, and you get home late in the evening. Your weekends are spent catching up on sleep. When do you have the time to do more?
Can You Break Free And Work For Yourself?
Every employee at some point dreams of the day they can say “I quit,” and walk out the door to a more rewarding destiny. But it won’t happen on its own. For many of us, it has to be a case of biting the bullet, taking some time out of our evening or weekend, and looking at what’s available. More and more people are realizing that due to systems like 8FDL, they can work for themselves from home.
So What’s Stopping Us?
The truth is that we stick in jobs not because we are forced to—which is the definition of slavery—but because it’s safe. We know if we keep turning up and doing our jobs, we will get paid. Thinking about leaving that safety net behind is going to make anyone anxious.
Change doesn’t come by doing more of the same thing. If you keep sticking with what you know, you’ll never experience anything new. Anything better. So if you’re ready for something better, get working on your exit strategy and look at how you can change your future for the better. You may have to take a risk – but the results are in your control.
There are opportunities out there for people who are prepared to do something different. Are you tired of the same old, same old? If so, no may be the time to jump.
Paola Ramirez
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