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This sentiment is commonly summarized as "work to live, don't live to work", and I frankly categorize it as defeatist position. I'm living at work just like I'm

This sentiment is commonly summarized as "work to live, don't live to work", and I frankly categorize it as defeatist position. I'm living at work just like I'm living when I take a shower or prepare a meal. I strive for satisfaction and well-being in all that I do. I couldn't possibly have enough fun in my hours of true "free time" to justify joylessly slogging through the rest of them.

kayodelycaon 2y ago
Nothing in that advice requires you to hate your job. It's about setting boundaries and not letting your job define or control you. Last sentence of the article: > I have never considered the level of labor to be the measure of myself, and I have never placed the security of a job above the value of home.
- packetlost 2y ago
  I disagree partially. I think some people should let their career become part of their identity, but not a job. The former is in service to other aspects of life (such as family, leisure, etc.), but for some it's also a core part and there's nothing wrong with that.
  - pantulis 2y ago
    Nothing wrong with that, of course, until your work career stops feeling like you are on top of a soaring rocket. And this will probably happen sooner or later to most people, bringing burnout issues.
  - kayodelycaon 2y ago
    Many people defined themselves by what kind of work they do. That’s fine. Tying identity to a company or specific industry career ladder, not so much.
    - packetlost 2y ago
      This is what I'm saying
- hirvi74 2y ago
  I would not have a home to value without the security of a job.
zoogeny 2y ago
I agree with you here on the defeatism of this kind of post. It is almost like asking people to compartmentalize their trauma. That is, don't expect to change your work environment - simply bear through it and eke out a modicum of real meaning in the hours outside of your 8 hours of servitude. I'm always cynical about the New Yorker and other mags like it. You have to consider the audience. Is the person reading this article more likely to be the child worker or the over-bearing home owner? Consider not just the authors perspective but also the perspective of the upper-middle class recipient of 8 hours of compartmentalized labor. Would you rather someone who fights for their rights, or someone who bears with it so they can go home to their family feeling some satisfaction at doing your laundry and scrubbing your floors. Perhaps it even helps alleviate some guilt such a person might feel: their servants "purpose" may be to scrub their floors, but at least those poor souls can find some meaning in their limited family time. Kierkegaard talks about the Knight of infinite resignation [1] and I think it is relevant here. When one is feeling despair or anxiety (as clearly described by the author) one strategy to alleviate it is to simply accept your dire circumstance. This resignation provides a temporary relief from that anxiety. To be sure, it is a major improvement over allowing oneself to continuously suffer. But the next stage is to truly believe that you can have the same kind of satisfaction in your labor pursuits as you have in your home life. It is to believe that you can manage to erase the distinction between working and living. He argues this kind of belief, especially when there is significant evidence that it is impossible, requires a religious mindset since it is based on faith and not reason. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_faith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_faith

kayodelycaon 2y ago

Nothing in that advice requires you to hate your job. It's about setting boundaries and not letting your job define or control you. Last sentence of the article: > I have never considered the level of labor to be the measure of myself, and I have never placed the security of a job above the value of home.

packetlost 2y ago
I disagree partially. I think some people should let their career become part of their identity, but not a job. The former is in service to other aspects of life (such as family, leisure, etc.), but for some it's also a core part and there's nothing wrong with that.
- pantulis 2y ago
  Nothing wrong with that, of course, until your work career stops feeling like you are on top of a soaring rocket. And this will probably happen sooner or later to most people, bringing burnout issues.
- kayodelycaon 2y ago
  Many people defined themselves by what kind of work they do. That’s fine. Tying identity to a company or specific industry career ladder, not so much.
  - packetlost 2y ago
    This is what I'm saying
hirvi74 2y ago
I would not have a home to value without the security of a job.

zoogeny 2y ago

I agree with you here on the defeatism of this kind of post. It is almost like asking people to compartmentalize their trauma. That is, don't expect to change your work environment - simply bear through it and eke out a modicum of real meaning in the hours outside of your 8 hours of servitude. I'm always cynical about the New Yorker and other mags like it. You have to consider the audience. Is the person reading this article more likely to be the child worker or the over-bearing home owner? Consider not just the authors perspective but also the perspective of the upper-middle class recipient of 8 hours of compartmentalized labor. Would you rather someone who fights for their rights, or someone who bears with it so they can go home to their family feeling some satisfaction at doing your laundry and scrubbing your floors. Perhaps it even helps alleviate some guilt such a person might feel: their servants "purpose" may be to scrub their floors, but at least those poor souls can find some meaning in their limited family time. Kierkegaard talks about the Knight of infinite resignation [1] and I think it is relevant here. When one is feeling despair or anxiety (as clearly described by the author) one strategy to alleviate it is to simply accept your dire circumstance. This resignation provides a temporary relief from that anxiety. To be sure, it is a major improvement over allowing oneself to continuously suffer. But the next stage is to truly believe that you can have the same kind of satisfaction in your labor pursuits as you have in your home life. It is to believe that you can manage to erase the distinction between working and living. He argues this kind of belief, especially when there is significant evidence that it is impossible, requires a religious mindset since it is based on faith and not reason. 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_faith https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight_of_faith