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I think people conflate working for money with having a purpose in life. One doesn't have to work for money to have a sense of purpose. The problem is many people are programmed to believe that working for money is the only way in which one can have a sense of purpose.
That's one of the biggest problems I've seen.
I know many, many folks who define themselves by their occupation. Some folks, like teachers or nurses, are helpers by nature. To me, defining yourself as a helper isn't bad or wrong.
I work in an IT office. I'm basically a glorified bureaucrat and paper pusher. While I don't hate my job or even really dislike it, I'm not defined by this. I have many other hobbies and interests outside of my 8-5.
I guess I have to get into specifics when posting on here. I am very much new and I recently wrote this post about retirement and slaving for people our whole lives. The real point that I was trying to make was -
why are we so comfortable with getting up everyday and working for someone else etc, why do we find it necessary to go to school and get a "good job". I don't know about you all, but growing up I was never taught to "invest" or start a business or truly do something that makes me happy even if it wasn't something regularly accepted by society... and when you do get up and say I'm gonna start my own business or whatever people look at you like you're ****ing crazy because they have already been brainwashed to follow the routine! what I'm trying to say is, it wasn't set up for all of us to become millionaires (of course not) but do we just get up everyday hating ourselves working some boring job following the same routine until we turn 60 & die? Does it not hurt to try? And then if you fail say at least I gave it a shot! but to work for someone else forever is boring...Is there not more to life than that? I would like to travel the world but my regular ass job isn't allowing me the opportunity to do so (but its up to me to find a way to accomplish everything that I want) my coworker recently passed away (god rest his soul) but this year was literally his last year... all of last year he spoke about how he was retiring and literally a few months before he was finally set to be "free" and "enjoy retirement" he died... (granted we can die at any moment but that's a different topic) I don't know, it's like you work forever and by the time you are set to retire you're 60 and probably have some kind of illness that will most likely kill you soon anyway, it's just stupid but I guess that's life. Just venting, I am open to all opinions etc.
It sounds like you might be ready to implement the ideas explained in Mr. Money Mustache:
Talking about leftism? You're a government employee. Eventing you have is because of the government Do you think that's capitalism? Lol
I'm a government worker and I admit I don't call what I do capitalism. Call me a hypocrite...but I also voted for our pensions to be reformed against what the union wanted because I could see the math didn't add up. Hey, I'm no saint. But I'm also not stupid. The problem with most people, especially socialists, is they don't want to do the math. That's why they run out of other people's money.
I see this mentality with the unions all the time. This was the scenario I saw wher I work. Union pushes for more pension benefits. Union gets what it wants (circa 2000). Pension costs go up every year even in relatively good economic times. (2003-2007). Union blames management when the economy tanks and the pension costs skyrocket (circa 2009). Pension reforms and pay cuts ensue (2011-2012) Tax increases ensue (circa 2016). Newspaper article says local tax increases and pension reforms may still not be enough (2017). I am no genius, but I could see how his movie was going to play out by 2008 (long before it was over...well, it's still not over). Yet other people just can't...or won't. There are a few socialist societies where people and their politicians still seem to understand math. In most of them, people don't--or don't want to. And even in the ones where people do, they are under increasing strain due to low birth rates and immigrants whose ability to assimilate is questionable. Western society is in serious trouble. But most do not want to see it for what it is.
Last edited by mysticaltyger; 10-07-2017 at 11:13 PM..
come on you know everything someone gets guaranteed from gov't does not count . it is only what others benefit from that does. just like everything in life. anything someone wants to change whether taxes ,housing laws ,etc is always going to be either something they don't benefit from or something that does not effect them or the level they are at.
notice all tax changes or changes people want in social security are always above the income they are at ?
Very few are fortunate enough to have the money saved or inherited to drop of of society completely.
Actually, I would say dropping out of society completely would include not using money, or using as little as possible. Money is part of the matrix of control. As long as I am dependent on a job and money, I might as well make the most of it...but it's good to take a step back and see money for what it really is.
I don't see anything intrinsically wrong with working a regular 40 hour work week for someone else.
My life is fairly comfortable right now. I make an above average income in a low cost area. I can be home in about twelve minutes and to the gym in about ten. I have a fairly decent selection of quick lunch options nearby. There is a municipal greenway directly behind the office that I walk on at lunch a few times a week. I have a nice state park about ten minutes from my residence. The area has a bad economy and the dating scene sucks, but it could be a lot worse. I have good customers and a good manager, and I usually am out of here at 5. I don't go to bed until at least 11 most nights. I have a good 5-6 hours per day for myself, excluding family obligations.
A manager at one of my former employers in Indianapolis lives all the way in West Lafayette, IN. That's a 70 mile one way commute door to door, often in heavy traffic. Nine hour days are minimum there - as a manager, it's usually at least ten hours for him. Management is on call 24x7. The clients are hellishly demanding. I've seen him throw a monitor across the office in stress/rage. I'd say it's at least a 13 hour day for him most days.
He'll be 48 next month and has two kids under 5. He doesn't get much exercise and eats on the go a lot. I don't put the guy making it past 55 at that rate.
Maybe the OP mentioned NYC because there is an ethic in workplaces in large east coast cities such as NYC and Washington DC (jobs in private companies, not government offices) that if one goes home on time such as 5pm or 5:30pm, then one is not really doing their job, is not devoted and not dedicated, and is not working enough hours.
The ethic is to work late, and leaving on time makes one appear to be tending toward the lazy.
And peer pressure (and from management) to work late is very strong. No one wants to be the noticeable one who is leaving at 5pm, 5:30pm, or even 6pm.
Yes, this is true, especially in NYC. I think the level of intensity there can cause one to develop a sense of tunnel vision where one sees no other options, because, at the end of the day you're just totally exhausted. My sister lived in NYC and I could see this in her. Several people told her she needed to get out of NYC. It took her several years before she got the message and finally got out.
I used to think I would work until 72. But life continues to get harder and harder in Corporate America and the job I loved has morphed into something I do not even recognize.
I used to put in long hours because I loved the work and wanted to do well. But the work has changed and at age 56, as a woman, I feel pretty much invisible in corporate america these days.
I'm praying I can hang in there until age 60.
I want out and I never thought I would say that.
I have heard this story soooo many times. I really hope it serves as a newsflash to the younger generations.
I have thought about this same topic as I have kids who will soon enter college age and I can hear the fear when they talk about the future. There is this enormous pressure for earning perfect grades in high school, doing enough sports, enough volunteering, so that you can enter the "Hunger Games" and get into a good college with hopefully enough scholarships so that you don't graduate with massive debt. Then you must have perfect internship experiences in the right college major because companies don't offer training to new employees anymore and they will only hire those with experience which is this great Catch 22. So then if you are lucky enough to make it through all of those hoops then you can work your whole life and hopefully own your own home and make enough money to live yet save enough for retirement and health care until you have enough to stop working and die.
I think opportunities to be as successful as the older posters on this forum just don't exist like they used to. Government regulations, skyrocketing college, healthcare and housing costs are limiting factors as are disappearing pensions. It does make you question the big rat race we have accepted as normal.
I agree with much of this. But I also think that sometimes the stuff people do and policies people advocate actually make the "hunger games" situation worse instead of better.
I'll give an example with health care. It's already been found out what works (Hint: universal health insurance is a distant second. The world's healthiest populations don't use a lot of healthcare in the first place)
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