If capitalism is sociopathic, how should we make a living?

[nomorenomore08]

15. I don't have an answer. I really, truly don't.

What I do know is that many, if not most, of the middle-class opportunities which were available to my parents' generation - my dad is an office worker for a small-ish private company, and my mom is a soil scientist for the USGS, if it matters - are no longer available to mine. Most people my age I associate with, work relatively low-paying jobs and don't plan much for the future, because what's the point? Sure, I guess we could take pride in not being "the oppressor," but being a low-paid worker bee frankly sucks.

I myself have mostly taken the "slacker" route in life - my college major was literature/creative writing, and other than writing a few books (all fiction) I haven't done a whole lot in the 8 years since I graduated. Certainly my folks' comfortable income and lifestyle have made it easier to live that way, but I know it can't go on forever. The question "What the hell am I going to do with myself?" - on both a practical and existential level - has slowly become more urgent and panic-ridden over time. As for those who have it worse than I do, I can't imagine how they even manage to get up in the morning. The future really does seem bleak.