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Nonsensical poll, just like nearly all categorical binary choices which contain no room for any nuances. I did not vote in the poll because neither choice reflects my reality.
If one says one works to live, that sort of implies that one derives little or no satisfaction from the job. I have often written that working is part of living, not separate from it.
On the other hand, if one says one lives to work, that sort of implies that there are few or no satisfactions outside of the workplace.
So either choice is actually an extreme! Not that some people don't fit perfectly into one extreme or the other, but personally I do not fit into either one.
And I am on record as saying most American's live to work. We place a huge emphasis on occupations, so much so, that we catalog people by their jobs.
Invariably, one of the first things an American will ask someone else is, what do you do for a living? Not sure if that is driven by a need to "rank" people, or if we are trying to see where they fit in the socioeconomic scale in comparison to ourselves.
We have this insatiable need/desire/programing to constantly compare and compete with those around us. That is a trait far more prevelant in American's than any other nationality I have come across.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the original intent of the poll, but I interpret the phrase "live to work" as meaning "being a workaholic".
On the other hand, I suppose it could also mean that a person loves what they do for a living SO much that they look forward to each workday because the job/occupation/careeer/business/whatever is something that they really enjoy. But I've never known anyone who was that lucky, LOL
Think about it: How many people do you know who say (or said) "I really love my work"??
There were times when I really enjoyed what I did for a living. I wouldn't say I "lived to work" but I will say that what I did was challenging, gratifying and fulfilling.
But there were also times when I "worked to live" because I had a family to support and doing so was actually Job-1.
There were times when I really enjoyed what I did for a living. I wouldn't say I "lived to work" but I will say that what I did was challenging, gratifying and fulfilling.
But there were also times when I "worked to live" because I had a family to support and doing so was actually Job-1.
So how did you vote? Or did you vote? To me, your explanation contains the nuances which I claimed were lacking in the formulation of the poll. The poll is simply too simple-minded, in my opinion.
I know one manager who comes to work before everybody and stays late all the time and gets all pumped up about working hard and making everybody's life harder. When he's away from work, he just doesn't act like himself. He doesn't drink, doesn't seem to know anything outside of work that he can chat about at a social level.
His pay is not enough to brag about since I get paid more than he does but I don't act like I need to work harder.
The minute he steps back into work he's suddenly back in his familiar self.
So how did you vote? Or did you vote? To me, your explanation contains the nuances which I claimed were lacking in the formulation of the poll. The poll is simply too simple-minded, in my opinion.
Didn't for precisely that reason. Too black-and-white. I fall into shades of gray.
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Can't imagine being so attached to a 'job' that I'd "live to work".
