The Price of Aspiration: How Late Capitalism Hijacked the Idea of a Better Life

Most people learn to expect a comfortable, happy, and successful life as they grow older. This dream feels like winning the lottery, something you may only experience once. However, in our current world, the system known as late capitalism has distorted this dream in ways that frequently make life more difficult rather than easier.

What Capitalism Does to Our Dreams

Late capitalism is a stage of capitalism in which it’s always about money, competition, and growth. It makes us want more and more so we don’t merely survive but so we can show how successful we are. This pressure makes us feel as though we should always be chasing something “bigger”—better jobs, fancier stuff, more status. But in searching for it, we often find stress and disappointment—because the system is designed to keep us wanting, never quite satisfied.

Success under late capitalism can often seem like winning the lottery—an improbable event that promises a sudden escape from hardship. But for the vast majority, that’s a mirage. Rather than making success more achievable, the system is more likely to favor people who are already ahead, making it harder for others to catch up. This creates a cycle in which people continuously strive for a better life but rarely achieve it, resulting in frustration and mental anguish.

Necessities Turned into Luxuries

Among the most impressive tricks of late capitalism are the ways it makes mundane human needs seem like luxuries. The things that should be simple and easy to acquire, like good health, a little free time, or connection to other people, grow very expensive and hard to obtain. Life itself seems a luxury, with so many unable to afford a long, healthy life. And that is not an exaggeration; it is the reality in many countries, where life expectancy is falling for those at the bottom of the income scale because of economic stress.

The mental cost of chasing more

The constant pressure to perform and consume is negatively impacting mental health. Capitalism impacts mental health through anxiety, depression, and loneliness. The fear of unemployment, financial instability, and the constant competition can be draining. Many individuals feel isolated and believe they do not belong or matter, which exacerbates mental health issues.

Final Words: Rethinking the Good Life

To break free from this cycle, we need to rethink what a better life means. Instead of measuring success by money or things, we should focus on well-being, community, and balance. True happiness comes from meeting real human needs, not just buying more stuff or climbing endless ladders. Decoupling the idea of “the good life” from capitalism’s demands could help us build societies where everyone can thrive without sacrificing mental health or basic dignity.

Late capitalism: hijacking our lives

The dream of a better life in late capitalism has been hijacked and transformed into a never-ending pursuit of more, something that we all too often feel is as likely to materialize as a winning lottery ticket. This has significant implications for mental health and well-being. Recognizing these issues is the first step to a better world where everyone can live well.

Featured image via the Canary