Claim back your worth take back your time

I understand that this is a capitalist world. That I live in the most capitalist country in this world. Yet it still leaves a bad taste in my mouth when I have to speak about the injustices that I not only am subject to but, have to see other people suffer through. When I think about capitalism, one of the most harmful things that comes to mind is the abuse of resources without concern of the negative effects that it has on the environment. How resources are conceived as endless, therefor you can appropriate without concern. I think how we the people are part of those resources. How the environment is our daily lives. How capitalists companies partake in this destructive cycle without realizing that human labor has an end. Everything in life does, no matter how rich you are.

You see, in my job they treat time with the most upstanding value. A minute late from a twelve minute break can be a cause for ‘disciplinary action” from your superiors. Time is money, but not for the employees. Our services are highly valued, so the price per minute can be incredibly steep, but we do not benefit. Policies and rules are constantly changing. Every other month there is a new rule and a new form of penalization.

Time has become something that is not mine. My time, my life, is not mine.

Last year a guy at my job died unexpectedly. He was healthy and young but suddenly life was slipping out of his hands. He still came in to work up to the last month of his life were he decided to finally give his time to those who appreciated and cherished it. There was no moment of silence, no time for mourning, no memorial. His things were taken down. Just another empty desk.

I was told in confidence by someone in management that they wanted to be private about his unfortunate fate. But there was no hesitation when the question came up, everything spilled and out on the open. Rumors and gossip were now is legacy.

The desk was assigned to another person, a new employee. I’ve wondered if he knows of the fate of the person that sat there before him, if he contemplates the fragility and fleetingness of life. I wonder if he thinks of wasted times.

His death is now used as a corrosive example of how employees should be. Slowly eating away the humanity of its employees. If a man on his final breath wouldn’t miss a day of work then in comparison others’ ailments can become invalid and dismissed. A list of “oh such sacrificed and compromised employees” has been sent out. In it was every employee that notified they were sick and came in to work. Suddenly I started to comprehend how we are literally expected to work ourselves to death. Nothing else matters as long as every cent we are worth is exploited.

We as a society condemn those who are impoverished and don’t use their time on being part of capitalism. Those without jobs. Those whose rolls are different from ours. Those whose lives have put them in a place where they to receive more than they might contribute monetarily to a blindly capitalist society. the same way we do. Their lives are suddenly less valuable. Abuse and neglect wrongfully become accepted and encouraged.

I comprehend now that our value is not measured in how many zeros our bank account has. No. For people like me, our value is is measured in time. How we spend it determines how much capitalism can get out of us. Time is our most valuable and fragile possession.

I still keep reminding myself that I am alive. That even if short, I have time left. I can still change. I just have to keep remembering that I can not sacrifice myself for a job that would replace me in a week if I died. I am not sacrificing myself, not anymore. I will reclaim back my time. I can still reclaim my time!

Join the #HauteRenegade and reclaim yours!