Humanity Needs More Free Time
Former President of Uruguay, José Mujica, expressed in an interview with the New York Times that “humanity needs more free time.”
From being a street flower vendor in Montevideo in his youth to being a guerrilla fighter and enduring years of imprisonment, José Mujica believes that humanity, as it stands, is destined for failure as it is dominated by the market.
Known as Pepe Mujica, the rugged former president of Uruguay from 2010 to 2015, with his folklore appearance and extraordinary life, granted an exceptional interview to the New York Times on August 23rd. Throughout his life, he has experienced it all. From selling flowers on the streets of Montevideo in his youth to being a guerrilla fighter in the 1960s, advocating for armed struggle, being imprisoned for 15 years under dictatorship, tortured for two years in a well with only rats and frogs for company, sharing bread crusts with them, and finding solace in their friendship to survive.
Most notably, he gained fame for refusing to move into the presidential palace after his election. A massive four-story building where one must walk the equivalent of three city blocks to reach the kitchen for a cup of tea. Pepe Mujica never stopped living in his tiny 45-square-meter tin-roofed house with his wife and the three-legged dog he had adopted, shunning red carpets and fanfare, living by a philosophy of simplicity for a better society.
At 89 years old, Pepe Mujica still has some messages to share with the world. He believes that humanity, as it stands, is doomed because human beings, both intelligent and foolish creatures, seem to be controlled by the market. This ‘religion’ has turned them into voracious consumers. People live to buy, work to buy, and live to pay.
Finding Meaning in Life
For instance, Uruguay, with 3.5 million inhabitants, imports 27 million pairs of shoes each year. As a result, we all work, in pain, to create waste. We dedicate our lives to fulfilling multiplying needs. Subjected to the law of necessity, we lose our freedom. We lose our lives. Here are his final pieces of advice. Humans need more free time, he believes, to be more grounded and find meaning in their lives. Strive for happiness, not wealth. Because life is beautiful. What sets humans apart from other animals is their capacity to find purpose. Explore, play music, engage in sports, read, write – discover what enriches your existence. If they don’t find it, the market will make them pay bills until the end of their days. If they find it, they will have a reason to live.