In a working capitalist system, where prices are not artificially held high (zoning laws etc), the cost of living is low enough that even that average worker ca

In a working capitalist system, where prices are not artificially held high (zoning laws etc), the cost of living is low enough that even that average worker can trade off working time for leisure time. That just means giving up on more consumption, or funding one's own retirement. It's evident though that most people prefer consuming over anything else. They buy shiny things, go into debt for it, then are forced to work off the debt. Thinkers like Marx may feel different about the whole thing, they need their time off to do what fulfills them. Most workers, even those performing hard manual labor, feel empty if they don't work.