4 ms·

There was a time in my life where I would have made approximately minimum wage at a nominal 40 hour work week, and far below that in consideration of actual hou

There was a time in my life where I would have made approximately minimum wage at a nominal 40 hour work week, and far below that in consideration of actual hours worked. I didn't live alone. I don't know whether you would have called my conditions "comfortable", but with some spending discipline I was able to travel to Europe several times a year. I value my solitude to be sure, but it's not really clear why living alone is a right rather than a nice-to-have or even a policy goal. If legislators had responded to my plight by making the terms of my employment illegal and hoping for the best, gratitude would not necessarily have been my first instinct.

unishark 5y ago
I think having roommates should be the default living situation for people unless/until they have a family (which are technically a form of roommate of course). Besides being wasteful of space and resources, there's the (now well-known) mental health downsides or being alone. Humans aren't really made to live that way long-term. Personally I had roommates when I was single even when I had a good job. I viewed it as a way to meet people when I moved to a new city, which it was. It is important for roommates to view it this way though. People view it as purely financial can make bad roommates.