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The whole deeply-seated protestant belief that work ethic instills value in life always escapes me as well. There are so many things I'd love to do that don't e

The whole deeply-seated protestant belief that work ethic instills value in life always escapes me as well. There are so many things I'd love to do that don't even require a lot of financial resources or resources in general to accomplish beyond time, but unfortunately, due to needs like having a home and food, I have to work quite a bit and just can't find the time to do these things in those gaps. I understand the bordem argument but I think that sort of boredom is socially conditioned on us. During my time at university I worked almost constantly. I remember after graduating and getting a job only working 8-hours a day, I suddenly found myself with excess fee time I didn't know what to do with. I distinctively remember my first day returning from work, that I got home and was lost: what do I want to do (not what do I need to do or should do)? I have no papers or assignments due tomorrow. No major project efforts weeks behind I'm trying to catch up on, no looming deadlines, no new tech I need to learn to be ready for the next job, etc. I came to the realization that I was bored and didn't know what to do because I was conditioned to be constantly busy working, largely for other people and not myself --from my parents, church, schooling, society, and so on. A goal can be for yourself but often the processes to attain said goals are for other people. I chose to do certain aspects because they were interesting but it was more so because I needed to, had to or should do to get to my goal. I believe most people don't need work to find value in life, they need the time to discover what it is they value, the basic resources to pursue it, and ability to live decently while doing it. Unfortunately, we have an economic system that doesn't really allow for that. There is some choice in our economic system but for many, that choice is an illusion or at best, heavily constrained. I believe we need to move away from this work tied to life value concept, but I believe too many people currently rely on exploiting this concept to have others create value for themselves while constantly selling the idea of work giving purpose in life so they can pursue their goals without working. The issue isn't that work exists and is needed to maintain certain structure to society, it's more that it's used as shackles on many.

WA 5y ago
> There are so many things I'd love to do Like what?
- Frost1x 5y ago
  I used to exercise 1-2 hours a day, everyday (I was in great shape), that's gone completely. I'd love to go hiking regularly, that rarely occurs now. I used to spend a decent amount of time doing amature photography, I don't anymore. There's a significant amount of home improvement I'm perfectly capable of doing, in fact, even enjoy aspects of, yet I have to pay others to do it from lack of time. I love gardening but that's completely impossible, I occasionally trim my hedges when they get to be a complete and utter mess. I love exploring music, movies. I took a few piano lessons as a kid and always enjoyed it, I wanted to buy a keyboard awhile back to practice and learn to play several of my favorite works but realized it would be a waste of money because I simply don't have time to learn it. In similar fashion, I've always been a huge fan of Spanish style acoustic guitar--I have no idea if I'd enjoy it or pursue it far but I'd love to at least try. I have friends and family around the country I barely have time to call/text anymore, some within reasonable yet time consuming driving distances--if I had time, I'd strengthen those relationships because they are people I enjoy being around. I've always loved cooking and have learned to make a few recipes over the years that are unique like my many ramen recipes. I rarely have the time to cook and refine recipes for anything remotely complex, usually just on an occasional weekend. I used to do this multiple times per week. My partner is an immigrant and speaks another language, I'd love to have time and capacity to learn that language since they know English, that way I could converse with some of their friends and family easier. I have a whole host of computing related endeavors I'd love to pursue but after work, I frankly don't want to touch anything resembling a computer, including my smartphone. I love biking, I currently drive drive work but could reasonably cycle there, but it's not time efficient, it would add an hour to my commute each day. I actually enjoy volunteering for certain things, especially teaching and tutoring. If I had time, I would (I have done this multiple times in the past but had to stop). I vastly enjoy personal time to explore philosophy and think through ideas, work through new perspectives, and refine my world view--I do this often but had to give up some of that mental capacity and time to work. I actually enjoy aspects of my work, I only wish I did less of the aspects I don't like and cut that time down to share with my other interests because while it's interesting and enjoyable to me, it's only one aspect that's interesting and enjoyable--just so happens to be the one that society pays me the most to share. I even enjoy participating in discussion groups online like this but only read and respond to a few things on occasion. There's a few things, the list goes on. As to things I've never done but wanted to explore: carpentry. Woodworking always fascinated me and I'd love to try and learn enough to make some furniture for myself, friends, and family, perhaps because this is somethonf my father was skilled at. Could be something I try, hate, and never pursue but the time isn't there. I do not get bored when I have free time, I always have ideas (and to be clear, motivation to actually act and pursue them--these aren't just 'ideas' they are actualized), unfortunately I have to choose the ones that fit in small time blocks or have the energy after a grueling intense week of dealing with complex yet nonsensical problems at work.

WA 5y ago

> There are so many things I'd love to do Like what?

Frost1x 5y ago
I used to exercise 1-2 hours a day, everyday (I was in great shape), that's gone completely. I'd love to go hiking regularly, that rarely occurs now. I used to spend a decent amount of time doing amature photography, I don't anymore. There's a significant amount of home improvement I'm perfectly capable of doing, in fact, even enjoy aspects of, yet I have to pay others to do it from lack of time. I love gardening but that's completely impossible, I occasionally trim my hedges when they get to be a complete and utter mess. I love exploring music, movies. I took a few piano lessons as a kid and always enjoyed it, I wanted to buy a keyboard awhile back to practice and learn to play several of my favorite works but realized it would be a waste of money because I simply don't have time to learn it. In similar fashion, I've always been a huge fan of Spanish style acoustic guitar--I have no idea if I'd enjoy it or pursue it far but I'd love to at least try. I have friends and family around the country I barely have time to call/text anymore, some within reasonable yet time consuming driving distances--if I had time, I'd strengthen those relationships because they are people I enjoy being around. I've always loved cooking and have learned to make a few recipes over the years that are unique like my many ramen recipes. I rarely have the time to cook and refine recipes for anything remotely complex, usually just on an occasional weekend. I used to do this multiple times per week. My partner is an immigrant and speaks another language, I'd love to have time and capacity to learn that language since they know English, that way I could converse with some of their friends and family easier. I have a whole host of computing related endeavors I'd love to pursue but after work, I frankly don't want to touch anything resembling a computer, including my smartphone. I love biking, I currently drive drive work but could reasonably cycle there, but it's not time efficient, it would add an hour to my commute each day. I actually enjoy volunteering for certain things, especially teaching and tutoring. If I had time, I would (I have done this multiple times in the past but had to stop). I vastly enjoy personal time to explore philosophy and think through ideas, work through new perspectives, and refine my world view--I do this often but had to give up some of that mental capacity and time to work. I actually enjoy aspects of my work, I only wish I did less of the aspects I don't like and cut that time down to share with my other interests because while it's interesting and enjoyable to me, it's only one aspect that's interesting and enjoyable--just so happens to be the one that society pays me the most to share. I even enjoy participating in discussion groups online like this but only read and respond to a few things on occasion. There's a few things, the list goes on. As to things I've never done but wanted to explore: carpentry. Woodworking always fascinated me and I'd love to try and learn enough to make some furniture for myself, friends, and family, perhaps because this is somethonf my father was skilled at. Could be something I try, hate, and never pursue but the time isn't there. I do not get bored when I have free time, I always have ideas (and to be clear, motivation to actually act and pursue them--these aren't just 'ideas' they are actualized), unfortunately I have to choose the ones that fit in small time blocks or have the energy after a grueling intense week of dealing with complex yet nonsensical problems at work.