Building a vision of life without work (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#211

Post by wing-_-nuts » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:41 PM UTC

leftbrain wrote: post #202

legohead wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know exactly what makes me happy -- playing video games, eating good food, living in a nice climate (CA or Hawaii), and traveling the world. Unfortunately my happiness comes with a price tag.

I did all that minus the video games while travelling in south and south east asia for a year and a half, and with a $20 daily budget. Gave up some of the comforts of western standard of living and got a whole lot of new friends and experiences. I have kids now and when they are old enough to move out, I’ll quit my job (programmer, and I love it) and get back out there because “The mountains are calling and I must go…

I'm curious what comforts you gave up. For me, I'd at minimum want a quiet, private room with AC if it's over 80F, and a 'non public' bathroom with a lockable door. I know that probably rules out a $20/d budget.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#212

Post by Koshkin » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:41 PM UTC

disintegore wrote: post #148

Koshkin wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is simply a consequence of all goods being available to anyone free of charge.

Goods which, presumably, appear into existence through pure magic.

One of the tenets of the theory of the communist society is that most people would choose to work (a few hours a day).

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#213

Post by garmaine » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:42 PM UTC

opportune wrote: post #197

kevinwang wrote: post #5

This person also posted an amazing, unvarnished update recently (about 5-6 years later): https://livingafi.com/2021/03/17/the-2021-early-retirement-u...

I really don’t like how he tries to diminish his partner’s feeling about “falling behind” as some mirage created by Instagram and classism. I think it’s pretty uncontroversial that most people don’t want to live on $30k/year for their entire life when they could maybe work and get more. Though maybe this is colored by the relevation that follows shortly thereafter. To me it shows an unwillingness to think critically…

Yeah that was a big WTF moment for me too. It is completely normal and human nature to want to do better and have more. This has nothing to do with social media! I couldn’t imagine being stuck in a rut of a frugal fixed income forever. I post nothing on social media, I care nothing about keeping up with what I see there, and I like being different. But I still want to be advancing, improving, and getting more.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#214

Post by garmaine » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:44 PM UTC

opportune wrote: post #208

gonehome wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't seem like a huge surprise: https://samharris.org/podcasts/254-mating-strategies-earthli... It can come out in different ways, but I suspect it's not that divorced from the above. It's not very attractive to be unemployed and not very ambitious. Maybe the introspection of why is missing, but I suspect that's the reason.

See this is still blaming the problem on some kind of externalized illogical other you aren’t willing to understand (just replace “partner falling for Instagram lies” with neckbeardy EvPsych) rather than empathizing with the other person’s opinion. Like if your partner directly tells you they are unhappy because of XYZ, rather than thinking it’s stupid/some part of how the woman brain works (eye roll), it seems prett…

Wife was saying “I feel like we should both work again” and his response was “OK, how about you work? I’m good.”

I’m not surprised at all at what happened.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#215

Post by fuzzer37 » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:48 PM UTC

amishAmigo wrote: post #134

zoba wrote: post #67

I was 2nd employee at a unicorn startup and have been on a work-hiatus for almost a year. Now, I live amongst Amish people in the country. My biggest insight has been a mindset change. Previously my underlying approach to life looked like: "I will do X which will enable me to do Y so that I can finally do Z." I now approach my days with "What will make me happy?" This is an experiment I'm performing. A structured lif…

You live "among" them meaning "surrounded by" or "as a member of" their community?

He means Amogus

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#216

Post by dougmwne » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:49 PM UTC

ryandrake wrote: post #106

quietbritishjim wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> [article author, to wife] ... I thought that what you wanted was to live a life of freedom, with me. We’d talked about this. > [article author's wife] Not exactly. I wanted to have kids with you and work and be like everyone else. Live a normal life. I’m tired of being weird. And I don’t want to go back to work if you aren’t. That’s weird too. You wouldn’t even be a stay-at-home-dad. You’d be nothing. > [article au…

What it tells me is that there are two really important and serious things you need to consciously commit to in order to be compatible with this lifestyle. 1. Set aside that urge to keep up with the Joneses, and 2. Stop deriving life meaning from employment. These habits can be deeply ingrained in someone's personality, like an addiction in remission, and may rear their heads even if you agree to deliberately try to…

I think a serious problem here is that he thought he was free from the treadmill, but it wasn't true. He just so happened to be at a certain rung of the ladder along with all of his peers and as he retired, it felt like he climbed even further and had "made it" in a way they hadn't. But he had really hit the pause button on his accomplishments, so as his peers entered the next life phase of increased career security and financial options, he was left behind and suddenly found himself low on the ladder looking up. Much of his personal angst came from this.

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#217

Post by GeorgeTirebiter » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:51 PM UTC

zoba wrote: post #67

I was 2nd employee at a unicorn startup and have been on a work-hiatus for almost a year. Now, I live amongst Amish people in the country. My biggest insight has been a mindset change. Previously my underlying approach to life looked like: "I will do X which will enable me to do Y so that I can finally do Z." I now approach my days with "What will make me happy?" This is an experiment I'm performing. A structured lif…

Building dams, eh? Are you somehow inspired by this little guy: https://web.mit.edu/graphicidentity/tim-the-beaver.html

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#218

Post by garmaine » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:51 PM UTC

someelephant wrote: post #97

kevinwang wrote: post #5

This person also posted an amazing, unvarnished update recently (about 5-6 years later): https://livingafi.com/2021/03/17/the-2021-early-retirement-u...

Fascinating to see somebody analyze their own life. Seeing what he's written I draw such different conclusions about the underlying causes of the events which passed over the last few years. In particular the way he analyzed his relationship and the fact he still feels somewhat responsible just blows my mind. He's far too hard on himself.

I think he lets himself off the hook… “it’s her problem, she just wanted to keep up with the Jones’s” etc…

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#219

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:55 PM UTC

CleverLikeAnOx wrote: post #199

dangus wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A comment like this is privilege in a nutshell. Money to a certain point essentially buys the ability to be free and happy, and that’s why most people are “in the grind” so-to-speak. Being able to even think about making the mindset shift you describe is impossible for most people in the country let alone the world. The lifestyle you describe is out of reach for the median American making $40-60k a year with a modest…

For those that this lifestyle appeals to, it is possible in America to engineer your life so that it happens. Sure the median American is no where close to financial independence, but financial independence is attainable for most Americans given a couple decades of work if they are willing to change their definition of "enough." Personally, I reduced my target to a mere fraction of the $5 million you mentioned. Final…

[deleted]

Re: Building a vision of life without work (2015)

#220

Post by oftenwrong » Tue, Jul 13, 2021, 5:55 PM UTC

nabbed wrote: post #171

After growing tired of modern software development practices a few years ago, I just quit my job. I had no plan on going back to work (although I did after 18 months), and I had no plan on what I was going to do other than improve my math skills (which I did to some small degree) and learn to touch type (which I did not do). What I really learned is that my digestion problems and benign heart rhythm issues got a lot…

>After growing tired of modern software development practices

I'm curious to know what practices pushed you over the edge.

I sometimes struggle to keep emotional distance from work, especially when I feel that others are making our collective effort less effective. I have to remind myself sometimes that I don't actually need to care. At the same time, I wonder if I would be happier starting my own thing, and calling the shots. Of course, then I would have to care.