4 ms·

I've always wondered why we don't switch to a 20-30 hour work week or 4 work days a week... And not in some bs "part time vs full time" but that we have enough

I've always wondered why we don't switch to a 20-30 hour work week or 4 work days a week... And not in some bs "part time vs full time" but that we have enough humans on this freakin planet that you should only need to work 30 hours a week to live a healthy, balanced life.

nradov 5y ago
If you want that lifestyle then go ahead. Most anyone can do it. Move to a cheap area and you can survive on a part time job. https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/602609/cheapest-small-towns-in-america-2021 https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/602609/cheapest-small-...
sokoloff 5y ago
You can and some people choose that. Same as you can choose to have only one adult in a pair do paid work. What happens is that other humans do more hours of work per household and outbid you on things that you might otherwise want. Some people are OK with that and go on to live happy lives. Others get frustrated and join the race to keep up with the others. (Which I think is a choice that people should have; I would strongly oppose taking that choice away, but the end result is that lots of people are working lots of hours to buy lots of things.)
refurb 5y ago
We certainly could but every one then needs to accept a lower standard of living.
disambiguation 5y ago
Also our regular work schedule, but people can retire earlier would be another nice form of balance. IMO it's simply that money is a better motivator than equality. Money is tangible with easy to understand value, while equality is intangible and dubious in value, according to some. Once you realize you can beat the guy working 20 hours a week by working 40 hours a week, you quickly find yourself optimizing for productivity over anything else. The rest of us get swept up in the current of the people that want it the most.
diordiderot 5y ago
This is going to sound cold but we could save hundreds of billions by 'letting go' demented / terminal elders suffer undignified quality of life because their descendants, too guilty to let go, but to busy to visit, are happy to let the public pick up the bill
- disambiguation 5y ago
  I wonder how much the public would save by "letting go" of you and I?
  - diordiderot 5y ago
    Depends, are you of sound mind, do you provide anyone with anything beyond a feeling of guilt. Is there anything you would die for? Is there anything you fear worse than death?

nradov 5y ago

If you want that lifestyle then go ahead. Most anyone can do it. Move to a cheap area and you can survive on a part time job. https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/602609/cheapest-small-towns-in-america-2021 https://www.kiplinger.com/real-estate/602609/cheapest-small-...

sokoloff 5y ago

You can and some people choose that. Same as you can choose to have only one adult in a pair do paid work. What happens is that other humans do more hours of work per household and outbid you on things that you might otherwise want. Some people are OK with that and go on to live happy lives. Others get frustrated and join the race to keep up with the others. (Which I think is a choice that people should have; I would strongly oppose taking that choice away, but the end result is that lots of people are working lots of hours to buy lots of things.)

refurb 5y ago

We certainly could but every one then needs to accept a lower standard of living.

disambiguation 5y ago

Also our regular work schedule, but people can retire earlier would be another nice form of balance. IMO it's simply that money is a better motivator than equality. Money is tangible with easy to understand value, while equality is intangible and dubious in value, according to some. Once you realize you can beat the guy working 20 hours a week by working 40 hours a week, you quickly find yourself optimizing for productivity over anything else. The rest of us get swept up in the current of the people that want it the most.

diordiderot 5y ago

This is going to sound cold but we could save hundreds of billions by 'letting go' demented / terminal elders suffer undignified quality of life because their descendants, too guilty to let go, but to busy to visit, are happy to let the public pick up the bill

disambiguation 5y ago
I wonder how much the public would save by "letting go" of you and I?
- diordiderot 5y ago
  Depends, are you of sound mind, do you provide anyone with anything beyond a feeling of guilt. Is there anything you would die for? Is there anything you fear worse than death?