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> Busting your ass working IS a waste of life. Maybe, maybe not. That's your opinion because the only source of truth here is your own feelings. > You can be

> Busting your ass working IS a waste of life. Maybe, maybe not. That's your opinion because the only source of truth here is your own feelings. > You can be passionate about your work, but don't be ridiculous. You can be whatever you want and if you're fine with that, then great. Everybody is different. Average people/workers/earners obviously think and behave differently than those who are above average. > You're only here once. ...as far as you know.

overcast 9y ago
No, that's a fact. No one on their death bed has wished they worked more. They wished they spent more time with family/friends/traveling/vacations/reading/sports/whatever. Working until you died is what slaves did.
- jdbernard 9y ago
  Eh, you can't claim factually that this is true: > No one on their death bed has wished they worked more. Unless maybe you've personally interviewed everyone who has ever been on their death bed? I mean, if we're going to talk about things at a factual level... The constructive point I'm trying to make is that this is shared cultural wisdom, not fact. I agree with it, actually, but we should not so quickly dismiss the alternative. I can see the appeal of living a life of singular purpose, especially if you are successful in leaving your mark on the world.
- Mz 9y ago
  I'm not on my death bed, but I wish to hell and back I could work more. I'm sick to death of being poor. I'm broke today. I hate it so fucking much. Half of that equation is that I have health issues, so sometimes I am just too sick to work. The other half seems to be that I am a woman, so good luck getting taken seriously. I spend a lot of my time wishing I were dead because being unable to get enough work is such a shitastic experience. So, you know, speak for yourself. The feminization of poverty is real. Working to benefit other people without getting paid for it is the actual definition of what slaves do. It also nicely sums up what traditional women's work is all about, which most women still do the lion's share of.
  - belorn 9y ago
    If you want the traditional work experience for men with health issues, the equation is very simple. You "man up" and go to work and pretend that you are not sick, regardless of pain, fatigue or dizziness. You will be taken seriously, but only if you can hold up the perception of male persona with perfect health and strength. Otherwise you will not just loose the ability to be taken serious at work, but society in general will reject you.
    - jansho 9y ago
      I’m a minority, had health issues in the past, tried to “man up”, still got some people not taking me seriously and thanks to politics it went viral anyway. What now? Even though I understand what you’re saying, I’m being defensive here because every person’s case is unique and it’s not really fair to tell them to “man up”. We already know that, thanks, but most of the time it’s just not enough to improve the situation.
      - belorn 9y ago
        I am not advocating that one should man up, quite the opposite. Ignoring health issues is a recipe for disaster, and no amount of short term gains in respect should be worth it. The best I can advocate for is shared sympathy. Not only for the physical and mental pains, but also for the massive amount of economical trouble it brings. Studies on income difference between groups with different health status is massive and dwarfs anything which gender studies generally find. That should bring people together in common cause rather than splitting us up based on gender, race, religions or other extrinsic attribute.
    - Mz 9y ago
      I have done plenty of manning up. I paid down debt while improving my income while homeless. I also appear to be the only woman on the leaderboard of Hacker News, so I appear to get taken a helluva lot more seriously than most women. It still fails to translate to serious income, even though a recent resume job I did was for a CEO who indicated he knew me via Hacker News and I had impressed him. Getting taken seriously for a woman is apparently still pretty damn pathetic. I would like to get taken seriously without such qualifiers. Such qualifiers are always a huge negative. Women only awards are basically a dunce cap with a crown drawn on it to pretty it up. They are akin to the Special Olympics. The fundamental message there is that "you can't really compete."
wbrocklebank 9y ago
Statistics routinely prove the majority of people feel they are an “above average” driver. I imagine the same is true of being “above average” in life for their situation. OP’s post is about those times when your feeling that you’re “above average” is questioned, by those times when facts strongly suggest you’re not. What then? Quitters quit. That’s not good, right? Persistence wins, graft often beats talent. But statistics also show the majority of investors (amateur & professional) hold their losses too long and sell their winnings too early. They failed to learn when to quit. It’s complicated, for sure. (“Fail fast” - is that quitting?)

overcast 9y ago

No, that's a fact. No one on their death bed has wished they worked more. They wished they spent more time with family/friends/traveling/vacations/reading/sports/whatever. Working until you died is what slaves did.

jdbernard 9y ago
Eh, you can't claim factually that this is true: > No one on their death bed has wished they worked more. Unless maybe you've personally interviewed everyone who has ever been on their death bed? I mean, if we're going to talk about things at a factual level... The constructive point I'm trying to make is that this is shared cultural wisdom, not fact. I agree with it, actually, but we should not so quickly dismiss the alternative. I can see the appeal of living a life of singular purpose, especially if you are successful in leaving your mark on the world.
Mz 9y ago
I'm not on my death bed, but I wish to hell and back I could work more. I'm sick to death of being poor. I'm broke today. I hate it so fucking much. Half of that equation is that I have health issues, so sometimes I am just too sick to work. The other half seems to be that I am a woman, so good luck getting taken seriously. I spend a lot of my time wishing I were dead because being unable to get enough work is such a shitastic experience. So, you know, speak for yourself. The feminization of poverty is real. Working to benefit other people without getting paid for it is the actual definition of what slaves do. It also nicely sums up what traditional women's work is all about, which most women still do the lion's share of.
- belorn 9y ago
  If you want the traditional work experience for men with health issues, the equation is very simple. You "man up" and go to work and pretend that you are not sick, regardless of pain, fatigue or dizziness. You will be taken seriously, but only if you can hold up the perception of male persona with perfect health and strength. Otherwise you will not just loose the ability to be taken serious at work, but society in general will reject you.
  - jansho 9y ago
    I’m a minority, had health issues in the past, tried to “man up”, still got some people not taking me seriously and thanks to politics it went viral anyway. What now? Even though I understand what you’re saying, I’m being defensive here because every person’s case is unique and it’s not really fair to tell them to “man up”. We already know that, thanks, but most of the time it’s just not enough to improve the situation.
    - belorn 9y ago
      I am not advocating that one should man up, quite the opposite. Ignoring health issues is a recipe for disaster, and no amount of short term gains in respect should be worth it. The best I can advocate for is shared sympathy. Not only for the physical and mental pains, but also for the massive amount of economical trouble it brings. Studies on income difference between groups with different health status is massive and dwarfs anything which gender studies generally find. That should bring people together in common cause rather than splitting us up based on gender, race, religions or other extrinsic attribute.
  - Mz 9y ago
    I have done plenty of manning up. I paid down debt while improving my income while homeless. I also appear to be the only woman on the leaderboard of Hacker News, so I appear to get taken a helluva lot more seriously than most women. It still fails to translate to serious income, even though a recent resume job I did was for a CEO who indicated he knew me via Hacker News and I had impressed him. Getting taken seriously for a woman is apparently still pretty damn pathetic. I would like to get taken seriously without such qualifiers. Such qualifiers are always a huge negative. Women only awards are basically a dunce cap with a crown drawn on it to pretty it up. They are akin to the Special Olympics. The fundamental message there is that "you can't really compete."

wbrocklebank 9y ago

Statistics routinely prove the majority of people feel they are an “above average” driver. I imagine the same is true of being “above average” in life for their situation. OP’s post is about those times when your feeling that you’re “above average” is questioned, by those times when facts strongly suggest you’re not. What then? Quitters quit. That’s not good, right? Persistence wins, graft often beats talent. But statistics also show the majority of investors (amateur & professional) hold their losses too long and sell their winnings too early. They failed to learn when to quit. It’s complicated, for sure. (“Fail fast” - is that quitting?)