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The compelling case for working less

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Re: The compelling case for working less

#231

Post by ekianjo »

lanstin wrote: post #182
sertorius wrote: post #161

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe he was referring to the general living-in-the-present attitude rather than the supported-by-your-child part.

Theravada Buddhism (as it is practiced) very much tells children to honor and care for their parents. And to respond with compassion to beggars and even stray animals. And to attend to the moment. But suffering tends to be sharper in poorer countries and some people find it stressful to be around so much less hidden suffering than a richer country where the poorer people are invisible.

This has nothing to do with Buddhism. It is found in about any ancient religion out there, because it's very much in the natural order of things in human societies. Here's what you can find in the Bible (and I am pretty sure there are more):

> “The church should care for any widow who has no one else to care for her. But if she has children or grandchildren, their first responsibility is to show godliness at home and repay their parents by taking care of them. This is something that pleases God very much....But those who won't care for their own relatives, especially those living in the same household, have denied what we believe. Such people are worse than unbelievers” (1 Timothy 5:3-4, 8)

Re: The compelling case for working less

#232

Post by ekianjo »

JetSpiegel wrote: post #73
ekianjo wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just fear of insecurity. I mentioned planning for your kids' future, which is not about insecurity at all.

The fear that your kid will be a failure if you don't have money so send her to MIT is pure insecurity. It's better to work 40 hours, follow and help her in school than work 80h and be the stranger that throws money over a wall to send her away from home under the guise of "it is good for you, trust me".

Sorry, but that's your prerogative. I haven't seen my dad much when I was a kid because he was working his ass off to provide for his family, and help us get in better schools than my family could not afford otherwise.

If you can afford to live in luxury with only 40h a week, then it's great, but don't assume that everyone can do it without trade-offs. And if that trade-off is your kid not getting the best chances in education down the road, then it's worth thinking about it twice, if you do love your kids.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#233

Post by eli_gottlieb »

Banthum wrote: post #81
wsc981 wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

... You forget a big part I think: planning for your future. ... What I find remarkable is that in Thailand the people on the country-side generally seem to not think too much about the future. My Thai girlfriend sometimes tells me I should think less about the future, same like the Thai people do. She tells me sometimes I think too much about the future. The Thai people don't care too much about saving up for a pens…

There are lots of cultures (national and sub-national) where people don't think about the future. Migration flows are always away from those cultures, and towards cultures where people do think about the future. The thing is, everybody likes to dream about the care-free life, but nobody wants to experience the inevitable ultimate results of that: poverty, crime, underachievement (e.g. never accomplishing anything on…

> There are lots of cultures (national and sub-national) where people don't think about the future.

Name three.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#234

Post by spyckie2 »

ikeyany wrote: post #39
spyckie2 wrote: post #7

I'm convinced that our decision for how much effort to exert on work is not governed by the rational part of our brain. It's part primal - fear of insecurity and belonging to a social structure - part ego - accomplishment as confirmation of existence and your salary as a concrete number to compare favorably to others - and part culture and habit. I also think overwork is a byproduct of a globally connected society. H…

These are the arguments Ted Kaczynski laid out, if I'm not mistaken.

Didn't know that - now I do.

Don't really agree they are the same observations, but do see the similarities.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#235

Post by hycaria »

dlp211 wrote: post #15
spyckie2 wrote: post #7

I'm convinced that our decision for how much effort to exert on work is not governed by the rational part of our brain. It's part primal - fear of insecurity and belonging to a social structure - part ego - accomplishment as confirmation of existence and your salary as a concrete number to compare favorably to others - and part culture and habit. I also think overwork is a byproduct of a globally connected society. H…

I've been thinking about this a lot lately and I agree with your premise. I know for a fact that I am better off than my parents, my parents were better off than their parents, and my grandparents were better off than their parents, and in general, this is true for families. Yet, IMO, we are less satisfied and it is because there is a real and growing chasm of people in different income groups in regards to quality o…

> I know for a fact that I am better off than my parents, my parents were better off than their parents, and my grandparents were better off than their parents, and in general, this is true for families.

Honestly I'm not so sure that's true anymore. It's hard to compare our current situation with parents late in their career of course, but I feel like they didn't had the difficulties we experience to access home ownership (that's a thing in europe and valued areas in the us). Also when I look at myself or my friends with reasonably wealthy parents, I am pretty sure most of us will not match our parents' wealth.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#236

Post by perseusprime11 »

funnelsgun wrote: post #115
Spearchucker wrote: post #94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Age fixes that. Used to feel much the same. Now (approaching 50) I just couldn't give a shit anymore. A friend I've grown distant from over the last 4 years or so bought a 911 GT3 RS last year. And suddenly I hear from him. And I marvel at the waste. Purchases like that are meaningful on only two days - the day you buy it, and the day you sell it. I think a mid-20's me might've liked a car like that for the sex it co…

I'd argue that a 911 GT3 RS is not a waste. I would love to own a GT3, let alone a GT3 RS. Most GT3 RS owners are motorsport lovers, and use their GT3 RS for its true purpose. Motorsport and track events are also a great place to make new friends, as are organized road trips to incredible places in the world such as the PetrolHead tours.

I am very envious of the healthcare my friends have and age is not able to fix that. Only money can buy you a great insurance in our current setup. My point is that we have a problem with very fundamental things in our society that needs fixing.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#237

Post by lfischer »

alexasmyths wrote: post #157

"When I moved to Rome from Washington, DC, one sight struck me more than any ancient column or grand basilica: people doing nothing." Yes. It's like a big small town. It's quite refreshing - though it can be frustrating if you want to get something done.

I suspect it’s more about people doing nothing _outside_. In other cities and climates, there’s plenty of people doing nothing at home, in front of their TV or computer.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#238

Post by itamarst »

ndh2 wrote: post #226
itamarst wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Might be management problem, as someone else said; some managers are just bad. Might be learning how to negotiate will help. But might also be a mindset and skills problem: often you can do same amount of work with less time if you approach it correctly. For example, you can figure out which features are really necessary, and work on those first. Then when you inevitably run out of time you can say "I did A B and C,…

Might also be a can-do attitude. If you can't say no you'll always end up with "too much work".

That's what I mean by negotiating. "Sure I can do that" when you actually can't isn't a good move for you, nor for your employer.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#239

Post by ionised »

taneq wrote: post #19
kough wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Humans are happy if they are relatively well off compared to what they know. This is super true. I've been congratulating myself all month on my new job, paying me BIG BUCKS, compared to my friends. Well, just found out an old friend of mine also found a new job, getting payed literally twice as much as me. Now I'm in a funk and it's irrational and stupid but I can't help but look at the same number in a totally di…

It's not irrational or stupid. It's human. We've evolved to be not merely effective but also competitive.

I'm not sure that these tendencies are entirely effective in the modern era.

Re: The compelling case for working less

#240

Post by kpennell »

arca_vorago wrote: post #173

I'm so thankful I grew up with retired people who came from cowboys and farmers in the mountains. After living a slow life, and especially after experiencing combat, I've never really had a problem seeing right through the rat race. Its funny how near death experiences put things in perspective. I often think of a comment by Noam Chomsky, about how the industrial revolution promised so much to the people, but many sa…

I enjoyed this comment.
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