How to be a Good Slave

Acceptance of your debt slavery induced W2 servitude is only the start of your escape

Welcome, Avatar!

Most never wake up.

But many (and if you're here you are probably included) eventually wake up to reality.

Your boss wants to pay you as little as possible to continue to extract your good work and results.

That's it.

Today's post will help you move quickly through the acceptance arc of anger, resentment, frustration, sadness, through to acceptance that yes, you can be a good slave.

And yes, you can escape.

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Am I a Slave?

"But I'm not picking cotton or in chains?!"

Why do you think slavery is only discussed in the past tense?

And not as it relates in the present to sweat shops, low paying positions, passports being confiscated, debt slavery?

Slavery across a wide spectrum of abusive labor practices is more rampant today than at any time in history.

For most in the West, you have become a slave, not from your parents selling you to the local factory owner. No, your chains are indirect, through debt and consumption.

Student loans, car loans, mortgages, keeping up with the Jones.

Your debt compounds and keeps you desperate for a consistent income to make your payments.

You can't afford to take risk, quit and start a business, when you know that the mortgage hits your checking account in 2 weeks and your maxed out credit card lands a few days after that.

While it's an uncomfortable realization for many, it's the truth.

Debt slavery is more effective than chains and whips. It's not even close.

People voluntarily get sucked into the default path, load up on debt, and then grind their whole life to pay it off. And sometimes die before they even finish.

A population of slaves is easier to govern.

As long as their conditions are minimally acceptable, and there are no better alternatives for them to long for, they won't rebel, they won’t flee.

In my W2, I am a slave.

In your W2, you are a slave.

The Arc of Acceptance

I worked with a guy who got laid off last round.

One of the top performer's on the team, he happened to live in a Tier 1 city and was probably cut for his higher than average comp.

Nothing personal, but the McKinsey boys sorting the employees in Excel drew the line and he was below it.

He had gone to a Tier 1 school. Worked hard, learned quick, done well his whole life coming to a new country and now making it to a big tech software engineering role.

He wasn't arrogant, but clearly had a humble satisfaction with where he had come from and a sense that he had arrived.

All that came crashing down when he got laid off in the middle of a pair programming meeting.

As fate would have it, he had left such a positive impression even up to the VP that when a new role was opened, his name was sent around and he got rehired before his severance had run out. Very rare.

When he was back on Slack, I welcomed him back and setup a call.

I was shocked what he told me next.