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Why do we waste our lives as servants?

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Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#21

Post by thejosh »

Permit wrote: post #17

I've always been partial to Voltaire's thought on the matter: "Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need." Even if I had more time during the day to to whatever I pleased, I doubt I'd have the money to do anything interesting. I'd probably end up programming or working on something, which I might as well get paid to do. I'd certainly rather program than maintain a garden. But I can understand why t…

Exactly. I find programming relaxing (when working on projects I want), so If I wasn't working I would be doing that because I couldn't afford to really do anything else.

I also couldn't afford to do anything, probably couldn't afford internet at home either so I would be stuck.

Best of luck not working and instead doing whatever you like.

Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#23

Post by dbancajas »

dbancajas wrote: post #22
vichu wrote: post #5

This may be off-topic, but it was rather fascinating watching that hit counter jump up by hundreds after just one refresh.

me too!! I was fascinated. I never knew hackernews audience could reach 5000 visits so quickly!!

it's on 8K now!! wow!!

Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#24

Post by mullingitover »

Who's a servant? I'm exchanging my free time for money in an exchange that I feel is very worthwhile, and the 'servitude' I engage in is intellectually stimulating. If you feel like you're a servant, you picked the wrong career (or you didn't pick a career...)

Not everyone wants to run their own business.

Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#25

Post by axus »

It's nice that we can choose who we do or do not work for. Slavery and serfdom were pretty terrible.

I like my job; I don't think my work would be possible without cooperation and a shared environment. I don't mind serving others, if they are serving me too.

Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#26

Post by decasteve »

Why do some live their lives as masters? Why delegate interesting work to others rather than do it themselves? Why give up that money?

You are not a servant when there is a fair exchange of money for services.

You become a "servant", or rather a modern "serf", when you lose control over such matters. It may seem subtle but it is an important distinction. If you are so indebted financially, living paycheque to paycheque, you are a servant to that debt and the interest it accumulates, you are a serf.

Without such bonds you can view your employer as a peer, a colleague, a contemporary, and not as your master.

Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#28

Post by arcosdev »

johnnyg wrote: post #14

Rah rah. So you are sitting in your economical abode eating your economical food with a pleased non-servant grin. And there you sit. And sit. The urge to build or do will come. Building is better with others. And soon you are back to having to make trade offs to build something you want or people want. To me, I'm always going to build. So yeah, all I can do is either pick the best masters available to me, figure out…

You are my guru. I am only half kidding.

Re: Why do we waste our lives as servants?

#29

Post by cle »

| We spend at least 40 hours per week working for other people to become richer than ourselves.

Sure, there are people like this. But a great number of people do this as a sacrifice to make their family's lives better.

I find this post boring, arrogant, and narrow-minded. These aren't new problems, and you haven't arrived at some sort of new solution.

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