Thanks for sharing your experience. the term "dark chasm lurking just beneath the surface" to describe what total freedom looks like on bad days speaks to me.

Thanks for sharing your experience. the term "dark chasm lurking just beneath the surface" to describe what total freedom looks like on bad days speaks to me. I also agree with your assessment of his partner. Keeping up with the Joneses sounds shallow at first, but I think it belies the true human desire to be respected by others. Maybe his partner felt like they weren't "accomplishing much" in life, which doesn't mean a 9-5 per se or an annual income $ per se, but that accomplishments were the best way to get respected by other people. We're social creatures, so I don't think it's wrong to seek social validation by others. I think when one is single and looking for a partner, what other people think does matter a lot. I think if the author was still committed to not working, finding a partner would be much harder.