Does it make me a bad person if...

No, it doesn't. I thought about what life would be like without work, and I think it would be unfulfilling. I really don't think retirement would be my cup of tea, I would get bored too quickly.

reply to post by argentus


That's incredible buddy and utmost respect to you.

I have a similar plan which involves living from the earth. I have talked about it on here and would absolutely love to live that kind of life. I want to build a rammed earth home and become self sustainable.

I would also love to do that on Maui, but the whole citizenship is a pain in my a$$.

Thanks for the reassurance that there is people out there living my dream.

Pred...

Originally posted by predator0187

It seems like all we do is work, eat, sleep, work, eat, sleep, work...etc. What's the point of living if you never get to live?

Its what you make out of life.....you can sit there and mop about life not being good enough, or you can do something about it. Go do something, go out with your family, go drinking with your friends, whatever you wanna do, do it.

Think about the kids in Africa and other places, who are working all day with no pay. Whenever you think its bad, think about how good it acrually is, and how much better you can make it if you have a positive attitude.

reply to post by Tayesin


Even 4 10 hour work days is a lot. That's still 40 hours. I'm not talking about doing any work whatsoever, I'm talking moderation. Like, let's say 3 days of work. 8 hours per day.

That's not that bad if you think about it. You would be fully recharged for your days of work, and your production level would probably go through the roof. Even losing those 16 hours of work there would be no change in input. Which should in theory mean that the same pay.

That's less than half of our week working which gives us more freedom and more pleasure time for us and our families.

How could you argue with that?

Pred...

reply to post by AuirOverrun


Hmmm...

I understand the whole positive thing, I get that, but I am supposed to be happy with mediocre?

I know my life is better than the children in Africa, but I hope that they are striving for better. I hope they want positive changes in their life because that is a normal thing that we humans do.

I want better, and I hope you do too. I just do not want to be a slave for someone who is making 300x what I am making for doing one tenth of the work. I understand that "those people got there somehow" but it seems more and more everyday that it's not about how good or how smart you are, it's all about connections.

That's unfair.

I am happy with everything in my life but the amount that I work. The amount of my time given away for much less than I'm worth.

Doesn't matter if your in Africa or USA taking advantage of people is bad, and that is what money does. Corruption is a monetary word.

How can you argue that people want to spend more time with their families and doing more enjoyable things than working?

Pred...

Originally posted by predator0187
reply to post by AuirOverrun

 

Hmmm...

I understand the whole positive thing, I get that, but I am supposed to be happy with mediocre?

I know my life is better than the children in Africa, but I hope that they are striving for better. I hope they want positive changes in their life because that is a normal thing that we humans do.

I want better, and I hope you do too. I just do not want to be a slave for someone who is making 300x what I am making for doing one tenth of the work. I understand that "those people got there somehow" but it seems more and more everyday that it's not about how good or how smart you are, it's all about connections.

That's unfair.

I am happy with everything in my life but the amount that I work. The amount of my time given away for much less than I'm worth.

Doesn't matter if your in Africa or USA taking advantage of people is bad, and that is what money does. Corruption is a monetary word.

How can you argue that people want to spend more time with their families and doing more enjoyable things than working?

Pred...

Yup, how? Wanna know the answer.

Absolutely this does not make you a bad person, it makes you a rational, sane person. What you are experiencing is slavery.

All the income tax you pay goes to paying the INTEREST ALONE on a huge national debt which exists because the private banking cartel, otherwise known as the Federal Reserve, stole the right to print the country's money. These private banksters then lend the money to the US Government, with interest.

The interest is enormous and that is why there is income tax....to pay the interest. End the criminal Federal Reserve scam and the country would have all the money it needs........and your life would be one whole lot easier.

Of course, they don't want this - the criminal banksters have kiled the two presidents who tried to reverse this scam.

Your post reminds me of all the years I spent doing nothing more interesting than chasing money for a huge corporation. I was lucky because we had a union so there was at least an imitation of equitable return for my labors. So many are so much less fortunate. Now, at long last, I am retired and everything is pretty much OK (until those DC assholes mess with social security). I am free to plant and harvest in my couple of acres in cultivation. I no longer have to get up before dawn. A day usually has one nice nap somewhere in it. I find that the older I get the more I want to stay home and become more and more reclusive. Enough of that... I know what you mean.


Back in the early '60's one could still homestead in Alaska. All you had to do to get title to the land you selected was to winter over two years in a row. I was strong then and could have done it. I didn't realize how that might have changed my life. I may have died early from the physical stress but that would have been much more acceptable to the non-physical stress of the cubicle. The worst part of it all is in knowing that your kids will be getting sucked into the exact same thing in only just a few more years.


If you can, get the hell out of debt completely. If you are renting stay that way. If you own do not touch your equity. Never! Don't waste money on new cars. Go to neighborhoods where retired people live and look for good clean used cars. Senior citizens have a way of keeping cars nice longer than other age groups. Return to the old methods of cooking where the ingredients are purchased. Buy flour and baking power. Bulk sugar and salt. Try to get free of commercial television. Watch those channels that do not have those mind numbing little # stories with the pathetic asshole actors like the Cialis commercials. Stop watching Fox or MSNBC for news. Try BBC America for a better spectrum of real news without the political BS. Read more as an activity. If you have any ground around your house get rid of the grass that sucks up your time and money and plant edibles instead. Buy a bushel of apples and, with your kids, cook 'em down and make apple butter as a family activity.

These things, if you can do them, will bring you back to the American life of decades ago. A world forgotten when both parents had to go hustle for money. If you find that you can do these things then you might look far ahead and plan on a big change. Maybe some day you'll be able to escape. It may never happen but who knows. Maybe someday you can take your family and start over. Imagine living in a place where increasing property value and equity were of no importance. 'Cest possible... Here is the key concept. No matter where you are now each time you willfully change a little thing in your families routine for the better it's a step closer to freedom. Each little dependency is a burden. Start getting rid of them one at a time. You can do it...

We, my wife and I, did that very same thing years ago. We took our kids and left the city...

Not a bad person at all. These very frustrations were why I took a break from working. In the process I have dried up the savings and am having to delve back into the workforce to pay my way (same soul sucking industry as before as I did not find my passion during my time off - perhaps that makes me the bad person?)

The other time wastage job related is the amount getting up and ready in the morning, getting to and from work, and the lunch break you have to take instead of taking this off your daily hours. So much easier to work from home in your jammies.

reply to post by predator0187


You work hard so your kids could have a better life. Your kids will work hard so their kids will have a better life. In the end a generation will start wondering what the hell happened to a better life?!

reply to post by predator0187


I am just glad i am alone, and if i was left alone to live my life i would of went to work, and lived my life, but never and i mean never would i consider wanting to bring someone into this world.

The way i saw it if i was alone i could just do a basic job and live on that all my life, and i was not allowed to do that as people want to run my life that have nothing to do with me. I could not live that basic life so i in effect gave up, and said if i cannot make my own choice of work, and its no one elses busness, why should i bother trying.

If they want me to goto work, they can get out of my life and i would, but i will only live for me and never even consider having a partner or bringing people into this world.

I am not you and you are not me, and it is my choice. For op, you had your choice and you choose to bring two kids into the world, and you made that commitment so you should goto work and make sure they have at least something in life, and not live on no dole or something.

But me i will be alone and i will make my choice of working only if and when i am left alone.

Thats my attitude.

Originally posted by wcitizen
Absolutely this does not make you a bad person, it makes you a rational, sane person. What you are experiencing is slavery.

THIS THIS THIS.
I think alot of people with the "Im better than you because I work 80 hours a week" mentality are still not "awake" - they still believe in this farce, and think that you can somehow get ahead by playing by the rules and working hard....which 90% of the time ISNT true. As predator mentioned, its generally all about connections.

Nothing frustrates me more than talking to normal everyday people, and the ones that arent self-righteous start to agree with you, and then say "But ya gotta work!"....Um, no we dont. What wold happen if everyone that made under $15 an hour didnt go to work tomorrow? The world would be at a standstill. No bank tellers, no food preparers, no delivery drivers.....Ask France. Either TPTB have to cave and give a little, or there is a social revolution.

This is the reason that I think npeople who argue against unions are stupid as dog crap - if it werent for unions, we would like the chinese - working 50 hour weeks for pennies an hour, no breaks, terrible work conditions. This is why there is so much propaganda against unions, TPTB want to make us into EVEN MORE of a slave force than we already are, and the only thing standing in the way is laws and unions, but more and more of the idiotic section of the country are once again starting to fight AGAINST their own best interests.

reply to post by predator0187


Having been a working stiff for a great many years, friend, I have to somewhat agree with you that life is a drag sometime, and getting up for work is not a normal thing for such a high thinking Spirit, no? This is but one proof that Planet Earth is a school for Spirits. You have, (or one day have) a power that is mighty and makes others tremble before it. You have the power to create, not just yourself, your meat suit of human clothes, but your whole world, your entire universe can be created by concious thought. You, and all the rest of us, have to learn what it is like to work for that which we seek to have, so that we will appreciated those things when we can create them at will. This may sound dumb to you, friend, but being disabled for so long, I truly wish that I could still work on the cars. That was my life, my trade, and I miss it terribly. I miss the big pay checks, the smells, the sounds, the beauty and grace of a well designed American car with a powerful V-8 engine. I repair and build computers now, and it has not, by any means, taken the place of a damp, greasy garage with harsh artificial lights and noisy air compressor.

reply to post by autowrench


I dont think that anyone is arguing that hard work is a bad thing, its that we are all working hard for someone elses gain, as opposed to our own.

what is freedom?
are you free?

can you just leave your current place, position and move? No.
We are enslaved in a situation where we are paying 80% of what we produce to higher ups. Not for our selves. We are forced to work hard to support the few 10,000 on top of this planet who are living off us.

You are on the right track. This insanity needs to stop, not with violence but with grass roots just like these boards. I have been aboard multi-millionare's yachts, house, cars and have seen the way they live. They work 1/10th the effort the person flipping burgers at the McDonald's.

We need to level this unfairness.

Im sure everyone has said this to themselves and thought .... why???
Think of how many full days of your youth you spent inside a school building with flourescent lights glaring in your face sitting on a hard chair/desk.

Not out in the sunlight experiencing life. Not out in this eden but inside of a prison it seemed.

And now the best part of every day i'm stuck inside at guitar center every week. Seems so unfair but i guess you gotta work to get anywhere in this life.

reply to post by predator0187


My thought is that if you're working 40+ hours to make ends meet, then cut back on what you're spending money on and you'll be able to work less.

Downgrade the house and car, and live in a less affluent neighborhood.

This will bring your expenses in line with your desired reduction in work hours and resulting reduction in income.

If you have all the toys, expect to put in the work time for them.

Originally posted by pinealexplorer
And now the best part of every day i'm stuck inside at guitar center every week. Seems so unfair but i guess you gotta work to get anywhere in this life.

See, exactly what I said a few posts up......

Pick a number you need to retire, do what you have to....23 years for me...build your own house(a cabin for us) and hopefully have a little bit of retirement money and enjoy life..that's the plan anyway

Originally posted by 12voltz
The choice is yours,but by giving up working for someone else,you still have to work but it is no longer work it is life.Spend your day tending your vegetables ,feeding your stock ,picking berries and nuts,Gathering food and firewood,playing and teaching your children.etc ,just give up those things that you need cash to pay for.It will be hard but after a while it will be normal.Maybe read this story for perspective
www.abovetopsecret.com...

I would be much happier doing work like that, than lining someone elses pockets.
If my family and I benefited from everything we did, i would be much more content.