Isn't capitalism, especially in this zeitgeist, such an odd yet peculiar conception to have?

I agree. What we strive for under capitalism isn't worth living at all. For the most part, we work for someone else for our next pay cheque so that we can buy stuff so that we can continue to live. But for what? Having the means to survive is nothing if you have no reason to live. A society dominated by the pure goal of consumption and production is no society I want to live in.