4 ms·

i think this was probably true for most of history but i'm not sure it's true now. anecdotally there isn't a single person i know well who, if they didn't have

i think this was probably true for most of history but i'm not sure it's true now. anecdotally there isn't a single person i know well who, if they didn't have to work, wouldn't just sit around drinking, smoking and eating 24/7 while doing nothing except binge watching netflix and scrolling through social media.

pcthrowaway 3y ago
I know many people who volunteer, contribute to open source, exercise, and play sports. They'd seem to run counter to your idea of what people would do if they didn't have to work.
- wharvle 3y ago
  Childcare, gardening (with surplus to share, maybe!), elder care, home improvement projects. Art, writing. Collecting stories and genealogies for family. Knitting and sewing. People do tons of work even when they’re not being told to, in my experience. It’s sometimes “worth” a ton less than the time they put into it, and they’re usually making little or no money at it, but that doesn’t make it not-work.
  - pcthrowaway 3y ago
    I think "getting paid for it" is really the distinguishing point between work and a hobby or chore. But yes, people do many things as hobbies that other people do as work.
hotpotamus 3y ago
I suppose it speaks well for the skills (and perhaps poorly for the morals) of our best minds that they've now developed the tech to be so addictive that they can override peoples' innate desire to be useful. If I didn't have work to go to, things would indeed be pretty dark, but that doesn't mean I'd prefer falling into a hole of substance abuse and tech addiction.
ifokiedoke 3y ago
That's interesting. Most of the people I know would get (or have gotten!) bored of that after a few months, a.k.a. after the burnout has passed. On that list I include: me, my dad, his friends, multiple friends who quit their startup/bigcorp jobs etc. I myself quit on very little notice and spent a few months literally doing nothing but watching TV, and one day I just woke up and it had passed. The next few months I learned how to produce music, learned a new programming framework, treated parents way better, showed up for my friends, etc. Saw the same happen to my friends and my dad when he retired.
cafard 3y ago
I volunteer as an ESL teacher, and have worked with some who are retired and seem to put in a fair bit of volunteer time to other activities also. I can't speak what else all of them do, but one is a frequent source of information on free concerts and plays, local art exhibitions, and so on.
AlbertCory 3y ago
I don't know what your acquaintances are like, but also (and not even talking about myself) anecdotally: my neighbor, a retired school principal, keeps himself busy with house projects, including building special-purpose furniture for his mother in assisted living, and volunteering. He definitely doesn't sit around watching Netflix.
Shish2k 3y ago
I did this for a few months, but I only did it because I was suffering from Burnout (officially diagnosed) - now that I’ve had a chance to reset, I’m back to actively seeking productive things to do with my time and will accept any work that isn’t actively soul-crushing

pcthrowaway 3y ago

I know many people who volunteer, contribute to open source, exercise, and play sports. They'd seem to run counter to your idea of what people would do if they didn't have to work.

wharvle 3y ago
Childcare, gardening (with surplus to share, maybe!), elder care, home improvement projects. Art, writing. Collecting stories and genealogies for family. Knitting and sewing. People do tons of work even when they’re not being told to, in my experience. It’s sometimes “worth” a ton less than the time they put into it, and they’re usually making little or no money at it, but that doesn’t make it not-work.
- pcthrowaway 3y ago
  I think "getting paid for it" is really the distinguishing point between work and a hobby or chore. But yes, people do many things as hobbies that other people do as work.

hotpotamus 3y ago

I suppose it speaks well for the skills (and perhaps poorly for the morals) of our best minds that they've now developed the tech to be so addictive that they can override peoples' innate desire to be useful. If I didn't have work to go to, things would indeed be pretty dark, but that doesn't mean I'd prefer falling into a hole of substance abuse and tech addiction.

ifokiedoke 3y ago

That's interesting. Most of the people I know would get (or have gotten!) bored of that after a few months, a.k.a. after the burnout has passed. On that list I include: me, my dad, his friends, multiple friends who quit their startup/bigcorp jobs etc. I myself quit on very little notice and spent a few months literally doing nothing but watching TV, and one day I just woke up and it had passed. The next few months I learned how to produce music, learned a new programming framework, treated parents way better, showed up for my friends, etc. Saw the same happen to my friends and my dad when he retired.

cafard 3y ago

I volunteer as an ESL teacher, and have worked with some who are retired and seem to put in a fair bit of volunteer time to other activities also. I can't speak what else all of them do, but one is a frequent source of information on free concerts and plays, local art exhibitions, and so on.

AlbertCory 3y ago

I don't know what your acquaintances are like, but also (and not even talking about myself) anecdotally: my neighbor, a retired school principal, keeps himself busy with house projects, including building special-purpose furniture for his mother in assisted living, and volunteering. He definitely doesn't sit around watching Netflix.

Shish2k 3y ago

I did this for a few months, but I only did it because I was suffering from Burnout (officially diagnosed) - now that I’ve had a chance to reset, I’m back to actively seeking productive things to do with my time and will accept any work that isn’t actively soul-crushing