Do you feel like Having to Work is un-natural?

Hey guys,

Ive been feeling this more and more often and I just have to share my thoughts.

I am currently 24. Ever since I entered the workforce at 18, I have got bogged down in the corporate grind. Sales is my career and I've sold everything from car warranties to home loans to actual homes as a Realtor, and I must say I am quite good at what I do as a sales person.

However, I have been getting these intense thoughts that working for a living is NOT NATURAL and not how god intended us to live as human beings on this planet. But I digress.....

I understand that in the past man had to find food, build shelter, fend off enemies, etc.. to ensure his family's survival.

And one may argue that in today's modern world, working in exchange for money so that an individual can secure shelter and food is the same thing, but I just can help feeling that this isnt how we were meant to live.

I recently started a new sales job, and while the pay is good, the hours are inhumane... most days we work from 9am to 9pm and only get 30 min for lunch! While observing my new found co-workers, I noticed that they have all become complacent, and dont even go out for lunch, they just sit in their cubicles munching on unhealthy junk food.

How in the world am I supposed to live my life when I get home late, only have a few hours for myself to eat, wash up, and before I know it Im falling asleep only to repeat the process all over again the next day.

Today I read a point of view about working from a poster on GLP, this is what he wrote:

How often does it happen. Someone gets a job at a factory etc and they are excited that they have a job. They slowly become stagnant about finding a better job. The Monday after xmas they wake up for work. Their birthday they work. Halloween they work. Best friends wedding cant afford, gotta work. Daughters birth, missed it had to work. No walking along the top of a mountain looking down the beautiful landscapes. Meeting people at a bar at midnight in another country.

No going to the big rock concert in the big city. No late night walks through the countryside on a summer night gettin high with a friend/friends. Life spent at work. Every day. Gotta work work work. We all think we're special. Are we special after 30 years of working at some factory that makes spark plugs. I want to be free. I'm 29 years old and im sick of working my ass off just to afford food apt and a car and 1 coat and a few outfits. I'm starting to get paranoid thoughts that I will never get to meet strangers and have a blast in Europe at midnite.

I wont get to walk on the top of a mountain with my wife in Tibet. I wont get to peacefully relax in New Zealand. Or hang out at a coffee shop in the Netherlands. it's wake up Monday morning and time for work. And it doesnt stop until you're old and frail with wasted vitality.

Source

Now, even though I feel that some of my opinions may differ from this posters, I truly sympathized with him as a fellow human being in regards to his feelings of hopelessness and being stuck in a job. We all become comfortable and complacent at times and just dont want to risk the security of a current job in order to find something better.

Keep in mind this is not always the case, and I make a good living doing sales...however it just does not feel NORMAL!

To top it off I had been gradually sucked into materialism, I had a brand new sports car that lost its appeal the next month when something new came out, the new cell phone that suddenly became annoying once I read about a newer shinier one that came out, and now Im glad to say that I have COMPLETELY did a 180 and have become the most NON materialistic person ever. --- This is why ive started having these negative thoughts about work and how it controls our entire lives!

I want to put a reply I made further down in the thread right here because it also pertains to this OP:
******************************************************************************************************************************
I am NOT looking for an EXCUSE not to work! I am simply stating the the way the work is structured in today's world feels inhumane and un-natural.

And its not all about how much you make! I personally know someone who manages an entire Wells Fargo branch and makes roughly 350k net income per yr.

He gets up at 5 AM and gets home at 11 PM. This person also works Saturdays and every other Sunday too. HE HAS NO TIME to spend his money, and in fact drives a regular mid range Toyota, does not buy expensive things or live in an expensive house.

But my point is, no matter how much you make, you will still be dedicating 1/2 of your life to work, another 1/4 to sleep, and 1/4 is left for EVERYTHING else which includes errands, traffic, getting to and from work.

By the time you are 65 yrs old, you have only really LIVED for about 5 years, in which you could do what YOU WANTED to do.

************************************************************************************************************************************

Seriously guys, I just dont feel human having to work for a living so that I can afford food, housing, a car and clothes. I feel that if instead of that I was forced to hunt, construct shelter, and defend my family that I would do this gladly and not feel as if I was "working" for a living.

Thoughts?

---GeminiSky

Regardless of how you go about it, one must always 'work' for food, shelter, safety, ect. It's as natural as breathing. So, no. I do not feel it's un-natural in the slightest.

reply to post by HomeBrew


I agree with that, however I would be happier just living of the land and working for my own survival, which in todays modern world is pretty much impossible.

yea i agree that working nonsense hours serving the machine is certainly unnatural but work itself is the essence of our being. you have to work at anything you do. marriage. fatherhood. sports. spirituality. patience. survival. anything that we do as people will require some degree of labor but toiling half of your life away dealing in mundane transactions of monopoly money are indeed unnatural friend. to me, the only way to survive happily within the machine is to go to school for something that you truly love and do it as a profession. that means anything really. if you spend all your time doing something you love to do rather than grinding down your nose to a stub on the grindstone you will be happy although you might not have as many jet skis as you would like...

You might look into some alternate living.

A cheap piece of land with a tiny house that's paid for will free you from the rat race and allow you to find something else. A job you actually enjoy but that doesn't pay as much as others is easy to live with if you can get out from under rent or mortgage.

I don't think working is unnatural, but I do think the way "work" is generally set up, particularly in western civilization countries is unnatural.

But then again, it's no more unnatural than cars. Some companies have been getting much better about work relationships with employees. Hopefully the trend continues.

10 Seeeeeriously Cool Workplaces

11 Cool Workplace Perks

You said it yourself: "I got a new job as a salesman". You chose a profession that is by definition a bad job. You have basically turned yourself into the shopping cart on a website. You have to be available as long as customers might show up at your place of business to buy.

Your 24, your still young. Get a degree or better yet do some internship in a tech field and move back in with your parents until you complete it. It might be humiliating but it will save you in the long run.

I do php/mysql programming at my job and I love going to work everyday. The best part? I dont even have a degree in the field. I worked from the bottom and got promoted and was taught on the job.

I agree with you. Work is mundane and demoralizing. I've been working since I was 15 and am now 25. I've had all sorts of jobs and they become a grind after not much time at all. Especially sales!

The whole purpose of work is to keep our self-cannibalizing economy on the go. We're merely cogs in the same machine no matter the job we have. It really is purposeless. Work is merely a means to receive money and then turn around and spend it on things we DO NOT NEED.

You gotta get out of sales, man. Lol

reply to post by TomJoad


What about those of us whos life just turned out to be like this? Those of us who dont have the time or money to go to school and do something we love? those of us who never finished school and now cant leave the job to go back because they wont be able to pay rent?

reply to post by GeminiSky


dude, not impossible. there are plans available online to have enough energy wherever you live to get completely off the grid and live comfortably. as well as ways to farm water, wherever. and just about anything you can think of. free life. just gotta have enough dough to get started. chickens and goats along with an awesome garden and prayers to the rain gods. good to go.

reply to post by GeminiSky


Well, then there are those of us who went back and still didn't find what we were looking for (i.e. not doing what we love) it's a double edged sword, no? I suppose if one wants something bad enough, they will find a way to make it happen, no excuses. The catch is: finding that thing that you want bad enough...

reply to post by GeminiSky


I hear you 100% and couldn't agree more. Same line of work as you, same waves, about 2 years ago. Once you get past the materials, doesn''t it feel like you are now outsite of "the box" now and look at things with a new light ?
I wish i could just go hunt, grow my plants, smoke and chill out on the beach. Well half way there a couple years later. Its the inflation that really gets you, houses used to cost what your sports car cost then we could do all of these things we want to do.

Egypt revolt (and it succeeded) put the trip to the pyramids trip out of the question for me, as with the quoted posters trip. I feel there are better things that are in the making and yet to come...

I agree in the fact as trying to phrase it as - we shouldn't have money as a middleman. If i have to do work for money, and use money to buy goods, why not just make/grow the goods ? I sure would appreciate it more as im sure most would, if it were directly earned, without govt $ manipulation.

Originally posted by illusion987
You said it yourself: "I got a new job as a salesman". You chose a profession that is by definition a bad job. You have basically turned yourself into the shopping cart on a website. You have to be available as long as customers might show up at your place of business to buy.

Your 24, your still young. Get a degree or better yet do some internship in a tech field and move back in with your parents until you complete it. It might be humiliating but it will save you in the long run.

I do php/mysql programming at my job and I love going to work everyday. The best part? I dont even have a degree in the field. I worked from the bottom and got promoted and was taught on the job.

Excuse me? Who are you to pass judgment of other peoples choice of career? Like I said I make a good living, and Im not lacking in the finance department=)

In my life I have met numerous computer programmers who were MISERABLE in their jobs, and said they made a mistake in choosing that career feild. So the career you choose is all subjective, I dont think that sales is a bad career by definition.

Kind Regards,

GeminiSky

Working is only "unnatural" when you aren't enjoying it.

Find your passion, turn a profit, never hate your job again.


edit to add:

Originally posted by HomeBrew
Regardless of how you go about it, one must always 'work' for food, shelter, safety, ect. It's as natural as breathing. So, no. I do not feel it's un-natural in the slightest.

Who works for food, shelter, safety, etc. anymore? We work for money. Yes, money buys food, houses, and security systems (I assume that is what you mean by safety). However, we sell our labor to someone at the lowest wage possible as a means to enriching them more and more. We shouldn't be working for money but rather for the betterment of humankind.

Originally posted by eNumbra
Working is only "unnatural" when you aren't enjoying it.

Find your passion, turn a profit, never hate your job again.

What if the markets go under? What then?

reply to post by GeminiSky


well, man... i would say if you have to be a gear in the machine be a big one. acquire rental properties. arable land. land with navigable water. all for an early retirement. read "the richest man in babylon." pretty good for raping the system for an early retirement. just maintain the golden rule in your endeavors.

reply to post by GeminiSky


Its completely unnatural and basically slavery. The Venus Project. Free your mind, and know if this is run by the bankers, it can be done GRASS ROOTS by the people. In fact anything else is a crime against humanity, slavery is illegal!

Of course there still is work but no need for 8-12 hour days and many who do this have to chose between lodgings and food for quality, let alone trips anywhere.

Originally posted by PhantomLimb


What if the markets go under? What then?

Then you can sit around and complain while collecting unemployment.

There is always a way to turn a hobby into a profitable business, whether it's a little extra spending cash or a multi-million dollar venture.

I would like everyone on this thread to understand that by posting my OP, I am in no way looking for an excuse to be lazy and sit around the house all day playing video games. I am a hard worker and very dedicated to whatever it is im doing at the moment. It just feels that working most of the day is not how my life was meant to be lived.....

--GeminiSky