“Because people have begun to lose their hopes and forget their dreams. So, the Nothing grows stronger.”
The Neverending Story (1984)
This is exactly why speculative fiction is important
This is why taking a break for downtime is important
This is why being able to daydream and wander, is important
Without hope and dreams, we can’t even consider that a better world is possible
And that is exactly the point of overworking and underpaying us.
Michael Ende, who wrote The Neverending Story, also wrote Momo, where the villains are little grey men who convince you to “save time” by cutting out everything fun and meaningful in your life. But you never get the saved time back, the little men smoke it.
Momo should be vastly more well-known than it is, IMO.
Thanks! I read it years ago and couldn’t remember the title, and for whatever reason couldn’t locate it by description, either.