It’s a regression of sorts, isn’t it? A rise of corporate feudalism where they exploit their “people" to increase their holdings and broaden their power. They overtax and underpay their “serfs" to fund increasingly hostile economic wars with each other.

Shopping at Amazon or Walmart or any of the others, either way, we’re funding this nonsense. And you’re right, it’s just a matter of time until all occupations and independent revenue opportunities is eroded away.

Sure, you can choose which corporation you want to serve, I mean work for, but you’re still a serf. (That was not a Freudian slip, I swear. 😉)

Or. Or… we could make different choices. Embrace minimalism and don’t buy things you don’t need. Limit your wardrobe and your toys. Spend your money on activities and making memories and learning. Spend on quality (not quantity) things that will last and are designed to be repaired rather than disposed. Commit to keeping an item until it breaks instead of having to have the newest model car or phone. We can choose to put pride in craftsmanship and artisanship again and be willing to support that pride. We can turn the TV off and read again or at the very least avoid advertising. We can make that commitment to support locally owned and locally made whenever possible. We can learn to make things ourselves. And so forth and so on.

We can choose to break them before they break us.

That will never happen though, because that would require collective commitment. We can’t/won’t get there. Convenience is too attractive a lure.