"Strawman" implies a fictional or marginal debating opponent. You may believe that burnout is more rare, or less rare, but it's not fictional. People really do

"Strawman" implies a fictional or marginal debating opponent. You may believe that burnout is more rare, or less rare, but it's not fictional. People really do (try) to work 80 to 100 hours a week, it's not really that rare (I have several friends who are doing it right now), and it really does burn people out. Fortunately, burnout is usually cureable. And it's a great learning experience. One learns how to avoid it in the future. A serious medical condition with myself, a family member, or a friend. Insurance. Yes, the insurance market in much of the USA is hideously broken, and so it might cost quite a lot. But I assure you that, for most people, it is easier, cheaper, and surer to get disability insurance than it is to become independently wealthy. (For many people, it's probably easier to become a citizen of a country with a better insurance system than it is to become independently wealthy. I wouldn't recommend that strategy to just anyone, but if that's what it takes to stop worrying...) I'm afraid of having to significantly limit my interests to fall within relatively limited amounts of expendable time and money... Well, some people solve this problem by having no outside interests at all, working 80 to 100 hours a day until they become rich. That's one method. Other people take out insurance: They work a little, but then they play a little. That helps hedge against the prospect that you'll die of a stress-induced heart attack, or succumb to RSI and become disabled, before you get rich. If that happens you'll never get to play at all. Or, if your hobby is "having kids", it gives you a chance to pursue it before you grow too old.