Diary of a future rentier (10)

Here we are already at the end of January. The hardest part of winter is over, the days have already lengthened noticeably, the snow is still falling a little, but sparingly. The cold is still very present but we feel that it is exhausting its last forces in the fight. In a few weeks we will feel the temperatures rise and the beginnings of spring appear. This near end of winter coincides with the end of a painful cycle for my little person.

For a year now, I have been experiencing, in spite of myself, the direct impact of globalization on our condition as employees. Having a rather liberal mind, I must say that this sinister experience leaves me very perplexed about the current financial, economic and political world. I have the impression that the enslavement of workers to a handful of capitalists has not only never ceased since the industrial revolution, but above all that it is taking a new turn.

As emerging markets such as China and India no longer provide only cheap labour but also brainpower, it is no longer just the working classes of our continent who are suffering. White-collar workers have to work overtime without financial compensation and young graduates cannot find work. Small business owners are also suffering from unfair competition from these countries. In short, apart from the big capitalists, this scourge affects all levels of our society.

In 1854, Charles Dickens depicted in "Hard Times" a working class that was enslaved, miserable and sheep-like, stupefied by repetitive work, dominated by a bourgeoisie greedy for profits and power, strong in the good conscience that it draws from the laws of the market economy. In 1936, Charlie Chaplin denounced in "Modern Times" the assembly line work and living conditions of a large part of the Western population during the Great Depression. A worker who suffered from burnout, then became unemployed, Charlie was sent to prison by mistake. Released against his will, he discovered how hard life was, and dreamed of returning to his comfortable prison.

These two stories seem so far away in time and yet so close to our working conditions that it sends shivers down your spine. When you work crazy hours, then still answer work emails and phone calls on your smartphone during the evenings and weekends, you can actually wonder if it wouldn't be better to be quiet in a prison like Charlie Chaplin. At least there, you're not given the illusion of freedom.

Eager to escape this dire fate as quickly as possible, I have been fighting hard for quite some time to acquire not only financial independence, but also to improve my working conditions (because the road to the first option is still long). If I was unable to achieve any tangible results in these two areas in 2012, this year is looking promising. Several new professional opportunities are indeed opening up for me, while my dividend income continues to grow and I have a little cash in reserve again to seize good opportunities when the market corrects downwards.

In short, the end of winter is near.