Yeah, a lot of why the people in the west work so much, is because they consume so much. The lifestyle in the west is, on average, extremely extravagant. And before anyone gets defensive, yes much of this is systemic, but acting like its inescapable is defeatist. I guarantee if you live in the west you could spend way less money and still get by just fine. I know because I’ve been on the brink of homelessness before, and it teaches you a lot of how to save money. Much of the western working class is too caught up in the allure of consumption to realize the thing keeping them unhappy in many cases is that very consumption. It’s a temporary solution to a permanent emotional problem. You don’t need more things. You need human connection. I’m not saying it will solve all your problems but I guarantee you could find things to stop spending money on that you don’t really need. There is an endless amount of free digital entertainment for example. Why would you pay for digital entertainment? Substitute one meal per day for rice. Learn to fix your devices instead of buying new ones. etc.