I agree. Pre- industrial revolution people had so much greater autonomy over themselves. But with Ayn Rand and all the materialism proliferation afterwards, people became reduced to workers instead of humans. In my country even in my parents childhood times they talk about sometimes; they were from villages and farming families and it was kind of like the grasshopper and ant story you know. Like the grasshopper didn't work, instead lazed about and didn't have any food stored for winter but ants were hard working and storing food. Because things reached these villages late I guess, people were like that. Others as a society could make suggestions, but they did what they thought right and there was much more connection to nature. Nearly everybody was self- employed; farmers would work really hard in the farming season, then sing, chat etc rest of the time. They also had a greater connection to within themselves because of being close to nature and having greater autonomy. The worst was the cookie cutter houses esp the ugly concrete structures designed by Corbusier and the likes. I'm sure there were others but I happened to be forced to live in a soul less city designed by him and watched a snippet of an architecture documentary where it was confirmed, what I have felt in that city; that his whole instruction manual was to design homes for worker bees, so they would be like mindless drones and work would be the only thing they could derive meaning or happiness(?) Or a sense of purpose from.