Reflection on Labor Day: The Dilemma of Workers in the Capitalist Mode of Production

International Labor Day is approaching, a holiday that originated from the large strike in 1886 by workers in Chicago, USA, advocating for an 8-hour workday. At this time, there are always some economists advocating for the abolition of labor laws and the implementation of a completely free employment system.

However, we need to recognize that economic theories and economists inevitably carry biases. Even if they try to disguise it, as soon as they express their opinions, their biases will be exposed. The views of these economists often lean towards the interests of capitalists or business owners.

The arguments of these scholars, such as the belief that a 5-day, 8-hour workweek would lead to trade wars or even hot wars, are completely wrong. On the contrary, excessive overtime and overproduction are the reasons that force capitalists to explore overseas markets, which is also one of the roots of global colonial wars from the 17th to the 19th century.

Human production activities can be simply divided into three stages:

1. Self-sufficiency stage: Production only meets personal needs, without competing with others.
2. Production stage that meets the needs of others: Expand production according to market demand until the market is saturated.
3. The stage of production for profit: Continuing production as long as it is profitable, regardless of actual demand, even at any cost to expand the market.

The third stage is precisely the mode of production of capitalism, which inevitably leads to overproduction, trade conflicts, and war. In this model, capitalists act like speculative profit-seekers, blindly expanding production regardless of actual demand.

This mode of production has turned people into tools for generating profits, reversing the relationship between humans and money. People are no longer the end goal but have become a means to an end. Workers have been reduced to "beasts of burden," burning themselves out to create more profit.

Capitalists are most afraid of workers "lying flat" because it means no one is generating profits for them. Therefore, promoting the idea that everyone can become a capitalist without working is misleading; true financial freedom should be based on reasonable labor.

In the face of this dilemma, how can ordinary people break the deadlock? The key lies in viewing the problem from a higher perspective and understanding the intrinsic logic of capitalist production. Since the actions of capitalists are akin to blind speculation, the wise approach is to avoid falling into the trap of competition and instead seek scarce and valuable assets.

At the current stage, reasonable financial freedom may be achieved by ten years of labor in exchange for a lifetime of freedom. With the increase in productivity, it may be possible to shorten this to one year of labor in exchange for a lifetime of freedom in the future.

Regardless, it is important to recognize the essence of the capitalist mode of production and avoid becoming a mere tool. While pursuing personal development, one should also pay attention to social fairness and justice, contributing to the creation of a more reasonable economic system.