4 ms·

I mean, there's people who barely do any work while pulling down a decent salary, so I'm not sure who's really the bigger waste of oxygen compared to someone wh

I mean, there's people who barely do any work while pulling down a decent salary, so I'm not sure who's really the bigger waste of oxygen compared to someone who sits around all day on games. (personally, I disagree with the 'waste of oxygen' viewpoint - life has innate value especially since we're the only intelligent species we know of, even if they aren't valuable in a capitalistic sense). But it's weird we prefer others being at a bullshit job over just enjoying themselves and not having to work. We'd like to think that everyone who's employed is doing some small part in helping out humanity, but that's definitely not true. >once one realizes how hard it can be to get back in the saddle. Is it really that hard though? It can be uncomfortable, sure, but if you can get past that, you're very similar to other people who decide on a later career change, start over in a new place, or are dealing with personal problems later on. The only real struggle is with yourself and being able to admit you're dealing with a problem. Once you do that, most of the stigma falls away except from the harshest critics. The idea that you're 'behind' is very outdated. You can do nothing with your life by working as well. * This is all from the USA perspective

livueta 5y ago
> life has innate value especially since we're the only intelligent species we know of, even if they aren't valuable in a capitalistic sense I personally agree with you in general, but I'm talking about a self-image formed through extensive socialization to the idea that work == value. Even if in some abstract sense all intelligent life is a gift, the "waste of oxygen" label starts feeling appropriate as your cohort materially advances without you. I guess I was unclear in that I wasn't going for lifestyle judgmentalism; more trying to explain the negative self-image that's easily developed given capitalist socialization and a lack of capitalist success. > It can be uncomfortable, sure, but if you can get past that... Again, I agree in general, and there's obviously a spectrum of how impacted any particular individual is going to be, but I think you're underestimating the degree of psychological scarring that can be built up over a long time in the pit. That step of admitting that you're the problem is one many fight against for years, which happens to be linked to self-deception around how fun/fulfilling the consumption-only life is. I guess I'm glad that you've got as hopeful of an outlook on this as you do, but I want to temper that a little with the understanding that "well, just go get a job lol" is akin to "well, just stop being sad lol" - in both cases there's probably a lot going on that simple willpower alone isn't going to fix.

livueta 5y ago

> life has innate value especially since we're the only intelligent species we know of, even if they aren't valuable in a capitalistic sense I personally agree with you in general, but I'm talking about a self-image formed through extensive socialization to the idea that work == value. Even if in some abstract sense all intelligent life is a gift, the "waste of oxygen" label starts feeling appropriate as your cohort materially advances without you. I guess I was unclear in that I wasn't going for lifestyle judgmentalism; more trying to explain the negative self-image that's easily developed given capitalist socialization and a lack of capitalist success. > It can be uncomfortable, sure, but if you can get past that... Again, I agree in general, and there's obviously a spectrum of how impacted any particular individual is going to be, but I think you're underestimating the degree of psychological scarring that can be built up over a long time in the pit. That step of admitting that you're the problem is one many fight against for years, which happens to be linked to self-deception around how fun/fulfilling the consumption-only life is. I guess I'm glad that you've got as hopeful of an outlook on this as you do, but I want to temper that a little with the understanding that "well, just go get a job lol" is akin to "well, just stop being sad lol" - in both cases there's probably a lot going on that simple willpower alone isn't going to fix.