With the emergence of artificial intelligence, the destruction of jobs and the resulting displacement of people from the workforce is exacerbating an already critical situation. But if the "job" is not conceived as a mere place of income, but as a set of activities that can be carried out with satisfaction and even passion, the purely existential criticality of survival is compounded by the lack of gratification that comes from not using one's own skills, abilities, and talents.. From Csíkszentmihályi's studies on happiness, a surprising finding was that "happy moments" of “flow” are overwhelmingly reported in the workplace, not in leisure time as one might expect. Perhaps this is precisely why the celebrated director Werner Herzog once said that "free time" was a truly incomprehensible concept to him.
One of the "disadvantages" of traditional cargo ships is the need for manual labor, almost artisanal in nature, which inevitably drives up costs. However, sailing on a sailing ship is a completely different experience, especially if the sail is used out of necessity in every situation, with the use of an engine not an option except in truly extreme cases (the cargo ship Tres Hombres even travels without an engine!). Bringing sailing back into the workforce means creating more fulfilling jobs, restoring to sailing the allure that underpins its appeal as a beloved sport.
Niko Paech, the renowned German economist we interviewed years ago, points out that one of the most painful shadows of modernity, without taking anything away from the countless achievements, is precisely that of excluding people from productive activities, making the activities themselves more efficient beyond a level that is healthy for the social structure. He counters the "myth of efficiency" by adopting less efficient productive activities as the future basis of the world of work. Activities that could also be defined as "convivial."
These thoughts are obviously part of a broader discourse of change, pursued by an increasing number of people tired of a modernity that has already passed its best moments in history and whose burden and high cost are increasingly felt. Sailing ships can play their part in the pursuit of a human-scale future, offering more challenging and stimulating jobs, with the notable bonus of great beauty for those who are even just spectators.
