Quote:
Originally Posted by Ugly Bastard
Isn't it funny how people's worldview is like the mirror image of their own lives? In this instance, we have Repug and tonguegina, both not exactly known to jump at the chance to work a job, each talking about how gainful employment or productivity does not equate to personal value. And I'm sure each of them would change their tune immediately if someone came along and offered them $100k to pour Obama's coffee in the mornings or whatever. "Man I have the best job ever!"
I mean, I'm not judging either of them or anything, just a funny observation is all. People are fucking funny, and I know for everything I find funny about other people, other people could find something equally funny about me.
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I think you're missing the point though. My argument is that you shouldn't base your self worth on how much you work and how much money you make. The monetary value society places on jobs is based only on the necessity of the job and how much more money it's able to create. I don't find much value on that. As long as I have enough money to live a (what I consider to be) comfortable life, I'll be okay. The fact that someone else is working 70 hours a week and busting their ass doesn't make me think any better of them. In fact I think they're foolishly wasting their lives and not enjoying it enough.
I also think you're off by saying I don't exactly jump at the opportunity to work. I don't know many people who work full time when they're taking 16 credits a term.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ugly Bastard
People find a lot of acceptance through work. I didn't always get this and I've been in that "lol all these 'working' people are so dumb" camp before, but there's nothing wrong with it. Just like Repug seeks acceptance through his writing or tonguegina seeks acceptance through his knowledge of movies and television, other people seek acceptance by adding value to the world by working for a company or government.
People trying to demonstrate their worth by talking about how much they work is no more or less ridiculous than you trying to demonstrate your worth by posting short stories you've written. The idealist in me likes to think that if you want them to accept your short stories as something that makes you an awesome person, you have to accept whatever work it is that they do as the same. Which, of course, is really fucking hard when they're talking about shit you don't care about.  |
Again, I think you're wrong here. I don't write short stories for acceptance - at all. I write them because it's my way of trying to understand existence. If other people enjoy reading them that's great, and if I can actually get paid to write them that awesome. But first and foremost I do it for myself, because I enjoy it, and I think it's really important. It's not to fulfill my needs of acceptance, which I do have those needs, but I get them fulfilled through personal relationships.
But I do think I am of the philosophy, like the French for example, that believe you should work less and enjoy life more. Unfortunately I know that in order to enjoy life more in the material sense you have to work more, but I'm perfectly happy not having really fancy things. I consider the need for superfluous possessions pretty superficial - and the person who needs those things to be happy pretty shallow.
Soooooooooooo in closing, I do think people who work themselves to death in order to buy the nice car and the pimp ass clothing to be mistaken in their ambitions. I guess that's what interest me so much about you, UB... You're kind of doing both, in a strange sort of way. While I know you work at what you do, I wouldn't say you work a shit ton, like say someone working at the New York stock exchange or something. You've found a way to not completely bust your ass to the point of misery and still make a lot of money. In that case, kudos to you.