5 ms·

What people call "hard work" is two different things. One is the puritan work ethic, forcing yourself to do shit you don't feel like doing, day after day, to a

What people call "hard work" is two different things. One is the puritan work ethic, forcing yourself to do shit you don't feel like doing, day after day, to achieve some goal. That may or may not lead to a better life, but it always leads to burnout. The other thing is obsession. You are intrinsically motivated to put in a ton of hours on something, and you get really good at it. The problem is, society is veering farther from human nature, so that there is less and less overlap between what we're obsessed with, and what society considers useful.

maps7 7y ago
Does this scenario match what you are saying? A person who is a talented musician but got a generic office job that has early starts and late evenings. They work hard but never really progress past a certain point. After work they're exhausted so they just watch Netflix. At weekends they socialize with their friends and family. Instead if that person had worked hard to dedicate themselves to becoming a successful musician their hard work would have paid off more.
- mettamage 7y ago
  Counter example: I knew a guitarist who was just amazing. This guy could play any solo, any chord, and improvize. He was quick, and had crazy exercises (besides his normal one). One exercise he had: 30 minutes per day, just strum to build up strength. Unfortunately, playing music was his only gift. He lived alone on welfare. At least he lived in a country that gave him welfare. But I can easily imagine many musicians who focus on their craft and need to scour for food. Heck, that's to some extent even in my country the case, because if you're only good at music and horrible with money, you won't survive on welfare (I've seen that too, just not with this talented musician). So IMO it's more complicated than that.
- jayd16 7y ago
  Maybe, maybe not. You need a way to support yourself as an artist. Lots of people choose the safe paycheck instead of tedium instead of working on their risky passion. Maybe a UBI will fix this one day.
- Yaa101 7y ago
  The problem is that a lot of people do not want to take that risk of putting in a lot of hours and maybe not succeed, and thus end up being a wage slave.

maps7 7y ago

Does this scenario match what you are saying? A person who is a talented musician but got a generic office job that has early starts and late evenings. They work hard but never really progress past a certain point. After work they're exhausted so they just watch Netflix. At weekends they socialize with their friends and family. Instead if that person had worked hard to dedicate themselves to becoming a successful musician their hard work would have paid off more.

mettamage 7y ago
Counter example: I knew a guitarist who was just amazing. This guy could play any solo, any chord, and improvize. He was quick, and had crazy exercises (besides his normal one). One exercise he had: 30 minutes per day, just strum to build up strength. Unfortunately, playing music was his only gift. He lived alone on welfare. At least he lived in a country that gave him welfare. But I can easily imagine many musicians who focus on their craft and need to scour for food. Heck, that's to some extent even in my country the case, because if you're only good at music and horrible with money, you won't survive on welfare (I've seen that too, just not with this talented musician). So IMO it's more complicated than that.
jayd16 7y ago
Maybe, maybe not. You need a way to support yourself as an artist. Lots of people choose the safe paycheck instead of tedium instead of working on their risky passion. Maybe a UBI will fix this one day.
Yaa101 7y ago
The problem is that a lot of people do not want to take that risk of putting in a lot of hours and maybe not succeed, and thus end up being a wage slave.