Useful Work versus Useless Toil

by William Morris

Visionary English Socialist and pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement, William Morris argued that all work should be a source of pride and satisfaction, and that everyone should be entitled to beautiful surroundings – no matter what their class.

Genres: Nonfiction, Philosophy, Art, Politics, Essays, 19th Century, Design

94 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1884

About the author

William Morris was an English architect, furniture and textile designer, artist, writer, socialist and Marxist associated with the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood and the English Arts and Crafts Movement. Morris wrote and published poetry, fiction, and translations of ancient and medieval texts throughout his life. His best-known works include The Defence of Guenevere and Other Poems (1858), The Earthly Paradise (1868–1870), A Dream of John Ball and the utopian News from Nowhere. He was an important figure in the emergence of socialism in Britain, founding the Socialist League in 1884, but breaking with the movement over goals and methods by the end of that decade. He devoted much of the rest of his life to the Kelmscott Press, which he founded in 1891. The 1896 Kelmscott edition of the Works of Geoffrey Chaucer is considered a masterpiece of book design.

Reviews

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim, well-designed Penguin Great Ideas book that

1) asks some provocative and necessary questions about the way society is constructed and about what it values

2) inexplicably makes its defense of Gothic Architecture into a moral issue

3) is sincere and interesting but a little repetitive and dry

4) is a usefully passive-aggressive book to be seen reading at your job

[melmarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Di tahun 2022 lalu, aku membuat satu keputusan sulit, yaitu berhenti bekerja. Sebelum memulai pekerjaan yang baru, aku sempat bertanya kepada beberapa teman buku: buku apa yang cocok dibaca sebelum memulai pekerjaan baru?
Ternyata baru beberapa bulan kemudian aku menemukan jawabannya.

Useful work versus useless toil (diterjemahkan dengan brilian menjadi "Kerja atau Dikerjain?") adalah esai William Morris yang pertama kali dipublikasikan tahun 1893. Tulisan yang sudah berumur 130 tahun namun masih relevan dengan zaman now, membuatnya menjadi esai klasik yang patut dibaca oleh setiap orang, terutama kelas pekerja. Ada banyak bagian yang menohok, misalnya bagaimana sistem ekonomi
kapitalisme telah merampok kehidupan kelas pekerja. Kapitalisme-lah yang bertanggung jawab atas "etos kerja" masa kini yang seolah mengagungkan kerja keras dan merendahkan pekerja yang mengambil waktu beristirahat. Padahal, menurut Morris, kerja yang baik adalah yang: 1. Memberikan hak kebutuhan untuk beristirahat, 2. Menghasilkan produk yang bermanfaat untuk pekerja, dan 3. Mampu melahirkan kepuasan dalam bekerja. Morris juga menekankan pentingnya membuat pekerjaan menjadi menyenangkan, dan mengkritik keras produksi barang-barang mewah yang tidak bisa dinikmati orang-orang yang justru menghabiskan waktu dan tenaga mereka untuk memproduksi barang-barang tersebut. Ternyata "work-life balance" bukan gagasan yang baru, karena William Morris jelas sudah memikirkannya sejak 1893.

Gagasan-gagasan yang dikemukakan Morris mungkin terkesan utopis, namun umat manusia tidak mungkin mencapai apapun jika sebelumnya tidak lebih dahulu bermimpi tentangnya.

Terjemahan yang digarap Sylvianty bagus dan mudah dipahami (ada beberapa bagian yang diberi sentuhan modern). Buku ini juga unik karena menggunakan kertas Oldmill Premium White yang ramah lingkungan, dan membuat sampulnya (karya @kecelakaanwarna ) bisa diwarnai sendiri dengan media pensil warna, cat air atau krayon dll.

[Hestia Istiviani · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Hidup untuk kerja" atau "kerja untuk hidup"?

Naskah klasik yang ditulis oleh William Morris ini pertama kali terbit tahun 1893. Barangkali kita menduga kalau tulisan Morris sudah kuno, usang, lebih layak disebut "artefak." Tapi siapa sangka, lebih dari seabad kemudian, apa yang dicurahkan Morris masih saja relevan. Bahkan bisa jadi semakin menakutkan dengan adanya (apa yang seringkali dikatakan oleh pemerintah sebagai) Revolusi 4.0.

Judul aslinya "Useful Work versus Useless Toil" secara jenius diterjemahkan menjadi "Kerja atau Dikerjain?". Buku mungil ini berisi aspirasi Morris dalam memprotes ketimpangan kelas pekerja dan pemilik modal. Bagaimana orang-orang kaya di sana sengaja mengglorifikasi "loyalitas" hingga "kerja sampai sakit" sebagai bentuk keseriusan dalam bekerja (uhuk).

Morris menulis bahwa pekerjaan yang baik ialah pekerjaan yang memiliki momen istirahat yang menenangkan. Kalau kita coba sesuaikan dengan zaman sekarang, istirahat kelas pekerja masa kini masih saja dihantui oleh mention di WAG atau bunyi notifikasi Slack. Bahkan, baru mengajukan cuti saja, sudah dicecar pertanyaan akan menghabiskan waktu libur di mana/melakukan apa. Membuat momen "beristirahat yang menenangkan" adalah suatu dosa besar. Padahal mah, itu kan memang hak 💁‍♀️

Kerja atau Dikerjain? adalah bacaan bagus yang perlu dibaca oleh kelas pekerja. Terutama mereka yang sengaja dibuat bersalah oleh pernyataan senior-senior "Ah kamu gini saja ngomongnya mental health! Saya dulu bla bla bla!" 🙄 Biar teman-teman sesama kelas pekerja seperti aku ini, nggak dibodohi, nggak dimanipulasi. Baik dg kata-kata manis saja atau bayaran THR yang berupa saham 😊

Morris menunjukkan bahwa "work life balance" bukan slogan kekinian generasi baru (yang seringkali jadi bahaan cemooh Boomers). Bahwa pekerja punya hak istirahat yang layak & menenangkan.

Membaca Kerja atau Dikerjain? ini semacam bahan "ngomporin" awal untuk teman-temanku yang selama ini didzalimi oleh si pemberi kerja (nggak ada BPJS KS dan TK??? it is bare minimum hey!!). Semoga mereka bisa menemukan tempat kerja yang lebih layak ✨

[Eduardo Ferro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Inspirador libro sobre al trabajo y el arte entendido como esencia del esfuerzo humano en un contexto en el que la productividad, el “crecimiento” y el consumo desbocado parece la medida del éxito. Podría parecer el mensaje de alguien abrumado por el ritmo de la sociedad actual, pero lo más gracioso es que es el mensaje de un diseñador textil, artista y revolucionario socialista en pleno apogeo de la revolución industrial.

El libro me ha resultado curioso, muy inspirador, y con algunas ideas sobre las que merece la pena reflexionar. El contenido del libro son transcripciones de discursos que luego fueron publicados en diversas revistas socialistas de la época. Hay que tener muy en cuenta el contexto histórico y el formato de los escritos para que no nos impida ver el trasfondo del mensaje.
En mi caso me ha impactado esa idea de crecimiento sostenible (no artificial) y arte como parte inherente del trabajo. Con estas premisas William Morris presenta la posibilidad de crear una sociedad en la que el trabajo sea parte intrínseca del desarrollo de cada persona en vez de un mal necesario para conseguir “cosas” cuya necesidad nos hemos creado artificialmente.

El mensaje de Morris ha sentado las bases ideológicas para el renacer del movimiento de artesanía que se ve en varias disciplinas actuales (diseño, software, makers, etc). Por supuesto que no se ha alcanzado nada parecido a su propuesta, lo que no invalida la aportación de sus ideas y la necesidad de tenerlas en cuenta en esta “acelerada” sociedad actual.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morris wrote before the socialist and Communist revolutions of the 20th century, and the ensuing disaster for the "working classes", as well as the middle classes.
Morris's vision was an essentially romantic one, where equality prevails and where ordinary people do productive and satisfying work, and live in humane and beautiful communities. This is not the same vision as that of the modern left, as there is a certain "conservatism" in Morris. Therefore this book is a real mix, but is nonetheless worthwhile. Boris railed against the inhumanity of the mechanisation of society, in some of the same ways as did the Inklings, J. R. R. Tolkien and CS Lewis.

[sekar banjaran aji · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buku ini diterjemahkan dari judul aslinya “Useful Work vs Useless Toil” yang diterbitkan lebih dari seabad yang lalu di Inggris. Dengan tagline jalan keluar dari hidup yang habis untuk bekerja, tentu jadi sangat relate dengan kondisi hari ini. Ketika buku lain semakin jauh dari peradaban makan buku ini menampar berulang-ulang dengan begitu keras.

Jujur ya, saya paling benci hukum ketenagakerjaan dulu saat kuliah. Menurutku tidak menantang karena perundingan kontrak. Namun titik balikku datang ketika aku baca Graeber beberapa tahun lalu. Sebagai manusia yang terjebak dalam bulshit job (menurut Graeber) aku jadi belajar ulang soal bagaimana relasiku dengan pekerjaan. Walaupun secara sadar aku kebali terserap habis dan tidak punya apa-apa setelahnya.

Ketika membaca tulisan Moris ini, aku kembali sadar bahwa aku tidak punya apa-apa dan aku sudah kehilangan segalanya. Bangun tidur akan selalu ada saja yang kurang, membuatku merasa tidak pernah cukup. Sering kosong saja. Lantas aku kehilangan segalanya, hal-hal yang menyenangkan bagiku seperti menulis kini jadi menyebalkan. Waktuku untuk bermain dengan kawan pun sangat sulit, aku semakin sering minta maaf karena aku harus melewatkan momen penting kawan-kawanku.

Buku ini mengingatkanku bahwa waktu itu luas, aku tidak perlu takut ketinggalan apapun jika tidak bekerja. Meskipun akan sulit setengah mati mempraktikannya sebab aku anaknya mudah goyah.

#WhatSekarReads #WhatSekarReads2023 #WilliamMorris

[Fact100 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sorunlar hala güncel, çözümlerse hala hayal.

[Ümit Mutlu · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Mevcut durum ne kadar kötü olursa olsun, onu destekleyenlerin başında rahatı yerinde olan, kendini bilmez zalimler gelir; en yumuşak, en kademeli reformları aşacak herhangi bir değişimden korkmak için her türlü sebeplerinin olduğunu düşünürler. İkinci sırada, yaşamları her zamanki gibi güçlük ve endişeyle dolu yoksullar vardır; onlar ise kendileri için daha iyi olacak herhangi bir değişimi tahayyül etmekte zorlanırlar ve koşullarında iyileşme ihtimali doğurabilecek herhangi bir eyleme geçerek, sahip oldukları azıcık şeyin bir parçasını bile riske atmayı göze alamazlar. Neticede, içlerine korku salmak haricinde, zenginlerle ilgili yapabileceğimiz fazla bir şey yoktur; yoksullara umut vermek ise bir hayli güçtür."

Biraz karamsar gibi görünse de nihayetinde umut veren, sosyalist bir metin. Sosyalizmin temellerinden besleniyor zaten; ve özellikle işçi sınıfının potansiyel gücü ve tüketim dayatmasının tehlikesini anlatıyor.

Yine de romantizmden kurtulmak lazım tabii. Yoksa, dünyanın tüm işçileri bence de birleşsin ama iPhone falan kullanmadan birleşsin, hakiki ihtiyaçları doğrultusunda birleşsin. Evet.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this short book fascinating. (Probably 4.5 stars rating)
Written around 130 years ago, you really get a sense of Morris's passion and unified thought in eradicating social injustice. It flows through all he does. Ornamental Art? The world of the 1870s, according to Morris, was producing crap, via machines and pointless work, to merely sell and make a few rich in the Commercialism system. People are supposed to love buying, selling and especially making things. They aren't supposed to toil in order to get money. It's all pretty obvious but it really makes me wonder how things have changed over 100 years and how blinded we are to accepting mere toil as the acceptable and overarching human endeavor.
I'm going to be reading more of Morris's work on his philosophy of art and work. So good.

One downside is that there is a lot of bad Victorian writing going on here. Seriously, one paragraph length sentence had at least 2 semicolons and 3 colons! Wha??

[Rebecca Worth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book presents four essays; Useful Work versus Useless Toil, Gothic Architecture, The Lesser Arts and How I Became a Socialist. Of the four, the first is the most current. In it, William Morris defines the nature of 'good' work – being the hope of rest, the hope of useful product and the hope of pleasure in the work.

Given that a third of our lives is spent working, we can assume it significantly influences our general happiness. And it makes me wonder what social problems could potentially be addressed if we were to reassess our experience and expectation of 'labour'.

[jupe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wahouh je sais que j'ai une capacité d'attention en baisse en ce moment mais bon, quelle idée aussi de l'éditeur de rassembler 3 textes qui se répètent d'un auteur déjà décousu et qui se répète dans un même texte ? Malgré la vision de Morris que je chérie beaucoup, ce bouquin (minuscule, même pas 150 pages) a quand même réussi à me tomber des mains. Mais! Merci pour les travaux nonobstant William Morris, c'est un des mes fous préférés et on partage vraiment la même délulu du gauchisme cottage-core🫶💐🍀🍄

[Sophie · Rating 3 out of 5]

old man yells at victorian architecture

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

My fault really: I just don't care enough about architecture

[anastasia tasou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect, radical, important, relevant. My last book of the year, just in time

[Kieran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Probably the most accessible intro to socialism I've read yet, with a bit of extra Morris spice added in top!

[Asri Pratiwi Wulandari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entah kenapa saya suka banget baca tulisan tentang kerja, apalagi yang pedas-pedas. William Morris ini galak banget, jadinya bacanya happy meskipun topiknya bisa bikin triggered dan demotivasi sebagai pekerja.

Banyak gagasan yg membuat saya terus teringat akan bacaan favorit saya lainnya soal kerja: In Praise of Idleness-nya Bertrand Russel, sama The Burnout Society-nya Byung-Chul Han. Kapan-kapan mau coba baca ulang tiga-tiganya, deh.

Beberapa gagasan membuat saya merenungkan soal budaya/gaya hidup/standar hidup yang diciptakan oleh kelompok ningrat. Banyak banget yg saat ini kayak udah susah banget dilepaskan dari keseharian kelas pekerja. Untuk gagasan perubahannya mengenai budaya kerja sendiri memang, seperti yang dia akui sendiri, agak utopis. Tapi, gapapa. Emang kompleks kan masalahnya. Seenggaknya dia ngajak kita buat kritis terhadap produk-produk yg diciptakan dengan logika kapitalis (produk yg eksistensinya gak bisa dilepasin dari eksploitasi manusia). Seremnya, kemungkinan besar kita dikelilingi produk eksploitasi, sih. Baju fast fashion kayak "yunikuro" dibuat dengan mengeksploitasi buruh garmen, misalnya. Smartphone kita pun demikian. Barang yg kita pesan online, diantar oleh kurir paket yg kondisi kerjanya precarious... (((overthinking kita stop sampai di sini)))

Saya senang sekali karena Penerbit Litani sepertinya juga tertarik untuk terus menerbitkan buku seputar kerja. Praktik penerbitannya pun rasanya pas: pelan-pelan. Antikapitalis gitu hahaha.

[Alan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am conflicted about this short anthology of essays. Some essays are great, some, well, not so great. Ultimately, I think reading Ruskin could substitute for most of Morris' works—if not entirely.

The works included in this small volume are:

1. Useful Work vs. Useful Toil 2/5
This is some hot communist-utopian trash that tries to argue that labor ought be enjoyable for mostly everyone.

2. Gothic Architectures 4.5/5
Amazing history and analysis of the evolution and purpose of Gothic architecture. My only gripe is that Ruskin's analysis in Stones of Venice is better (and actually cited in this essay).

3. The Lesser Arts 4/5
This essay highlights the importance of art in daily life—notably in the education of some skills (like drawing) and consumer products like furniture and other minor goods. The idea here is that small strides towards art help make society better and that the capitalist MO of making everything cheaper is also creating an artistic void in peoples daily lives which must be resisted.

4. How I Became a Socialist 1/5
I have no idea why the editors included this two page essay in the anthology. I understand that the Arts & Crafts philosophers (of which Morris is a part of) were socialists, but really, this essay is of little importance in 2024. Morris' arguments are not terribly coherent and very, very idealistic.

[Gwen Davis-Barrios · Rating 3 out of 5]

It certainly took me long enough!

A surprising amount of William Morris’ ideas are still really relevant today.

[Simon Hodge · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting read. Morris's ideas would go a long way in the ever demanding world of capitalism, greed and corruption that we live in today.

[Katy Koivastik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a compilation of lectures William Morris gave to various societies: “Useful Work versus Useless Toil” to the Hampstead Liberal Club in 1884, “Gothic Architecture” to the Arts and Crafts Exhibition Society, 1889, and “The Lesser Arts” to the Trades Guild of London” under the title “The Decorative Arts”, in 1877, and ending with a chapter titled “How I became a Socialist”.

William Morris’ philosophy is that nature and simplicity should be man’s guiding light. That the making of unnecessary goods, whether they be luxurious or cheap, both enslaves the makers and the consumers. He believed: “True it is that in many or most cases we have got so used to the ornament, that we look upon it’s if it had grown of itself, and note it no more than the misses on the dry sticks with which we light our fires. So much the worse! For there IS the decoration, or some presence of it, and it has, or ought to have, a use and a meaning. For, and this is at the root of the whole matter, everything made by man’s hands has a form, which must be either beautiful or ugly; beautiful if is in accord with Nature, and helps her; ugly if it is discordant with Nature and thwarts her ....”.

Morris was a devotee of his contemporary, the artist, art critic and thinker, John Ruskin. Of Ruskin he says: “It was through him that I learned to give form to my discontent, which I must say was not by any means vague.” They were both against modern civilization, Morris, referring to London says ...”how can I ask working-men passing up and down these hideous streets day by day to care about beauty?” Both would no doubt subscribe to today’s voluntary simplicity movement were they alive today. Indeed. Wikipedia says of Ruskin: “Today, his ideas and concerns are widely recognised as having anticipated interest in environmentalism, sustainability and craft.”

[Keith Mason · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is at its best when talking about the virtue of Gothic Architecture and at its worst when serving as an apology for Socialism and Communism. The book is in many ways a romantic vision of labour, and craft specifically. I agree with Morris on many of these points but his apologia for the virtues of Socialism and Communism come across as naive and difficult to parse without bearing in mind the historical legacy of these ideologies.

The book, despite its contents being written in the 19th century, is very modern. The arguments of Socialists and Communists haven't changed really all that much in the century since but his talk of 'the new society' falls victim to the same radical utopianism all advocates of this dangerous ideology do. I would much rather present to people the work of someone like John Ruskin, from a similar period and similar praise of craft but without the forced economic collectivism.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

William Morris does a lovely (if obvious) job of breaking down class structure, and for me it was quite visual. He classifies what a good job is -- one that provides opportunity for rest, opportunity to make a useful product, and opportunity for pleasure in your work. What I love is the way he portrays the people not actually doing any work (the aristocracy) as burdens on the general population. To survive in this world, either we all have to work the same amount, or somone has to do the work of two people for every individual not working -- we'll starve otherwise. It turns the notion of the poor being social pariahs on its head.

The entire text is available online: http://www.marxists.org/archive/morri...

[Neil Johnstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book i think because it re-enforces most of my I ideas on modern work just for the sake of working. And how if you are not creating anything you feel somewhat worthless and many people feel that within their jobs.
So taking from this book and from successful people, you must try to create something everyday drawing is usually my go to thing but every a page of a diary something that you decided is important other than selling your presious time for 'useless toil.'

The second half of the book was about architecture which has some cool ideas and maybe I'll read some more on the history of architecture at some point. (Cuz im sad like that)

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where have you been my whole life, William Morris? Socialism without the materialism of Marx. Instead of workers seizing the (dreary) means of production, work should be meaningful, and the product of work should have value - not cheap junk for the poor, and expensive junk for the rich.

Morris' concerns are work, art, and civilization (which he fears will end as a "counting house atop a dust heap"). A utopian, and we know the trouble they can cause, but a welcome one in an age where the counting house and the dust heap seem very close.

[H.d. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quatro ensaios curtos sobre arte, trabalho e socialismo. Impressionante como o primeiro texto, que data do início da revolução industrial, ainda é extremamente atual: fala sobre como o bom trabalho é baseado na expectativa do descanso adequado, no prazer do que se faz e no reconhecimento de sentido e valor pessoal dado ao que se produz.

[Kristina]

So true. Everything said here is on point. It's tragic that nothing has much changed to create the free society Morris envisioned. It still reads like a utopian dream far from realization. One is told to be grateful for the "useless toil" which he is lucky to have found in the first place. What went wrong?

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

really love that I happened to find this version in a shop on Brick Lane, a great little bit of socialist propoganda to keep in my purse! :D

[Steve Mitchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

A much better defence of socialism than Marx and Engels managed of communism.

[Pablo María Fernández · Rating 3 out of 5]

No conseguí este libro pero leí directo del original que está disponible en forma gratuita y online (por ejemplo https://www.marxists.org/archive/morr...). Convertí los HTML a EPUB y los envié a mi Kindle. Son tres charlas que dio William Morris acerca del arte, el trabajo y la sociedad. Al leerlas un siglo y medio después de su publicación tenemos que ponerlas en perspectiva porque algunas cosas suenan naif y hay propuestas que hoy soy aún más utópicas que cuando las propuso Morris. Sin embargo, varios conceptos se pueden rescatar y siguen vigentes, quizá más que nunca.

El trabajo útil versus el trabajo inútil me recordó a la mirada del El Principio de Peter o incluso de tiras como Dilbert. Todavía no había empezado el auge del mundo corporativo que brilló en el siglo XX y Morris veía toda esa rebaba que le sobraba al trabajo ya desde la era industrial. Abogaba por jornadas más cortas, variadas, preservando su arte y en un entorno más agradable. Lo más interesante es cuando habla de aprender tres oficios diferentes que vayan de actividades sedentarias a otras al aire libre, por ejemplo. Va en línea con visiones como la de un libro que me gustó mucho: One Person/Multiple Careers: The Original Guide to the Slash Career en el que ya no definimos a los diecisiete años que vamos a hacer por el resto de nuestras vidas sino vamos desarrollando múltiples carreras en el transcurso de nuestra vida laboral (incluso el mercado ya no recompensa los recorridos lineales y conservadores)

En El arte bajo plutocracia se queja de que en esos días a la gente no le importaba y era ignorante acerca del arte. Qué diría hoy. Reitera el rol de las máquinas no para reducir el esfuerzo de la tarea sino el costo y la deshumanización a la que está llevando la división del trabajo de Smith (¡y eso que todavía Ford no había inventado las líneas de ensamblaje que luego copiaría McDonalds y sería norma en todo el mundo!). Curiosamente en los últimos años este fenómeno dio la vuelta: con el software, las nubes, la inteligencia artificial, el marketing digital y las redes sociales vuelve a ser posible que una persona sea independiente y produzca valor para sí y para la sociedad sin depender de una estructura burocrática. Hay compañías que valen cientos de millones de dólares desarrolladas y mantenidas por una o dos personas. El modelo VC y del Growth desmedido atentó contra eso pero hoy hay una vuelta al crecimiento sostenible que está más cerca del minimalismo como el que proponen empresas como 37 signals.

Finalmente Cómo vivimos y cómo podríamos vivir habla de la guerra de las nacionalidades, del comercio y los individuos reiterando las propuestas socialistas de la época. Si bien trae una discusión que hoy parece cerrada hace planteos razonables en torno a la salud, la educación y lugares decentes para trabajar. Rescato la analogía que hace entre el comercio y la guerra, me recordó a Al Ries y Jack Trout glosando a Von Clausewitz para su maravilloso Guerrilla marketing en el que aplican la táctica militar al mundo de los negocios. Target, capturar mercado son evidencia de todo el vocabulario y la mentalidad que fueron tomados de ese marcial.

Algunas frases subrayadas de las tres charlas:
“(...) congratulations and praises, if he is only ‘industrious’ enough and deprives himself of all pleasure and holidays in the sacred cause of labour.”
“(...) the creed of modern morality that all labour is good in itself.”
“These States are composed of three classes -a class which does not even pretend to work, a class which pretends to work but which produces nothing, and a class which works, but is compelled by the other two classes to do work which is often unproductive.”
“All must work according of their ability, and so produce what they consume -that is, each man should work as well as he can for his on livelihood.”
“Our epoch has invented machines which would have appeared wild dreams to the men of past ages, and of those machine we have as yet made on use.”
“What they really do is to reduce the skilled labourer to the ranks of the unskilled.”
“(...) healthy life, and is compounded, it seems to me, chiefly of three elements; variety, hope of creation, and the self-respect which comes of a sense of usefulness (...)”
“(...) no great pressure of speed was put on a man’s work, but he was allowed to carry it through leisurely and thoughtfully; it used the whole of a man for the production of a piece of goods, and not small portions of many men, it developed the workman’s whole intelligence according to this capacity, instead of concentrating his energy on one-sided dealing with a trifling piece of work.”
“(...) unit of manufacture is no longer a man, but a group of men, each member of which is dependent of his fellows, and is utterly useless by himself.”
“Machinery which saves the cost of labour, not the labour itself.”
“He cannot use more than he needs -he can only waste it.”

[Reiza · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable, ringan, dan masih relevan bahkan setelah dua abad. Buku yang pertama kali ditulis di abad 19, saat Revolusi Industri pertama kali mengguncang Inggris, ternyata masih bisa relevan dengan kondisi saat ini. Meskipun, menurutku, ada beberapa hal yang sudah outdated, tapi secara umum, semangat dan hal-hal detail yang disampaikan oleh Morris masih sangat relevan terhadap pertanyaan yang kerap kali ditanyakan oleh kita semua sebagai Kelas Pekerja.

Morris juga menyinggung ketimpangan antara Kelas Konglomerasi, Kelas Menengah, serta Kelas Pekerja.

Menurutnya, konglomerat adalah kelas yang “seakan bekerja” tetapi sebenarnya tidak selalu seperti itu.

Kelas Menengah adalah mereka yang bekerja dengan motivasi utama untuk mendapatkan jabatan, atau untuk posisi hidup yang “aman”.

Sementara, Kelas Pekerja adalah mereka yang bekerja menanggung dirinya sendiri dan kelas-kelas lainnya.

Tapi kalau harus dibreakdown, pertanyaan utama buku ini mengerucut kepada: “Apakah kita bisa mendapatkan kedamaian dan kepuasan dari pekerjaan yang kita lakukan?”

Menurut William Morris, itu bisa saja terjadi, asalkan:
1. Pekerjaan yang kita lakukan memiliki durasi kerja yang singkat, memungkinkan kita untuk beristirahat dengan layak
2. Pekerjaannya bervariasi, tidak terbatas ke satu rutinitas tertentu saja agar menghindari kejenuhan/monoton
3. Kita menyadari kegunaan dan manfaat atas pekerjaan yang kita lakukan
4. Lingkungan kerja kita menyenangkan
5. Pekerjaan kita mampu menumbuhkan harapan

Bagaimana, apa tempat kerjamu sudah memiliki itu semua? Lalu untuk kita yang sedang membangun tempat kerja kita sendiri, sudahkah tempat kerja yang kita bangun menuju ke arah tersebut?

Seperti yang ditulis oleh Morris di kalimat penutup: “Suatu saat nanti kita akan mampu mewujudkan harapan kita: hidup sederhana dan sewajarnya, sebagaimana seharusnya manusia hidup.”