I would like this book to become an arrow that targets the heart of our culture. Something is very wrong with what we have created ourselves.

We have become a culture that is based on work – not even on “productive work,” but on work as an end in itself and with intrinsic significance. We have come to believe that men and women who do not work more than they themselves wish in jobs they do not particularly like are bad people, people who do not deserve love, care, or support from their community. It is as if we collectively consent to our own servitude.

The basic political reaction to the realization that we spend half our time on completely insignificant or even counterproductive activities – often under the orders of someone we dislike – is to feel resentment at the thought that there are others out there who have not fallen into the same trap. Consequently, hatred, resentment, and suspicion have become the glue of society. This is a destructive situation. I hope it will end someday.

David Graeber