Reflections on Labor Day and Economic Perspectives

International Labor Day is approaching. This holiday originates from the significant event on May 1, 1886, when workers in Chicago, USA, fought for an 8-hour workday. Every time this period comes around, some economists always propose the idea of abolishing labor laws to achieve a completely free employment system.

Economic theories and the viewpoints of economists are often biased. Even if they try to hide their biases, as soon as they express opinions, their inclinations will be exposed. These economists' positions often lean towards capitalists or business owners.

This viewpoint suggests that a 5-day, 8-hour work system could lead to trade wars or even hot wars, but this logic is flawed. On the contrary, excessive overtime and overproduction are what force capitalists to seek overseas markets, which led to the global colonial wars of the 17th to 19th centuries.

Human production can be simply divided into three stages: self-sufficiency, meeting the needs of others, and production for profit. The third stage, which is the capitalist mode of production, is the root cause of trade conflicts, wars, and imperialism. In this model, capitalists pursue profit maximization, disregarding actual demand, blindly expanding production, which ultimately leads to oversupply.

This mode of production has turned people into tools for generating profit, transforming money from a tool for meeting human needs into the master of humans. Workers have become "beasts of burden," working incessantly solely to create more profit.

Capitalists are most worried about workers "lying flat", as this would affect their profit generation. Therefore, promoting the idea that anyone can achieve financial freedom without working hard, like capitalists, is often a form of an IQ tax.

For ordinary people, the way to break the deadlock is to look at problems from a higher perspective. Since the behavior of capitalists is similar to blindly chasing profits, the wise approach is to avoid falling into internal competition and instead seek truly scarce value.

At the current stage, workers should strive to work hard, while also paying attention to balancing life and pursuing reasonable financial freedom. It is important to see the operating rules of the world, find one's place in an unfair system, and prepare for long-term freedom and happiness.