Well I’m in the working world again. I’ve found myself a well-paying gig in the engineering industry, and life finally feels like it’s returning to normal after my nine months of traveling.
Because I had been living quite a different lifestyle while I was away, this sudden transition to 9-to-5 existence has exposed something about it that I overlooked before.
Since the moment I was offered the job, I’ve been markedly more careless with my money. Not stupid, just a little quick to pull out my wallet. As a small example, I’m buying expensive coffees again, even though they aren’t nearly as good as New Zealand’s exceptional flat whites, and I don’t get to savor the experience of drinking them on a sunny café patio. When I was away these purchases were less off-handed, and I enjoyed them more.
I’m not talking about big, extravagant purchases. I’m talking about small-scale, casual, promiscuous spending on stuff that doesn’t really add a whole lot to my life. And I won’t actually get paid for another two weeks.
In hindsight I think I’ve always done this when I’ve been well-employed — spending happily during the “flush times.” Having spent nine months living a no-income backpacking lifestyle, I can’t help but be a little more aware of this phenomenon as it happens.
I suppose I do it because I feel I’ve regained a certain stature, now that I am again an amply-paid professional, which seems to entitle me to a certain level of wastefulness. There is a curious feeling of power you get when you drop a couple of twenties without a trace of critical thinking. It feels good to exercise that power of the dollar when you know it will “grow back” pretty quickly anyway.
What I’m doing isn’t unusual at all. Everyone else seems to do this. In fact, I think I’ve only returned to the normal consumer mentality after having spent some time away from it.
One of the most surprising discoveries I made during my trip was that I spent much less per month traveling foreign counties (including countries more expensive than Canada) than I did as a regular working joe back home. I had much more free time, I was visiting some of the most beautiful places in the world, I was meeting new people left and right, I was calm and peaceful and otherwise having an unforgettable time, and somehow it cost me much less than my humble 9-5 lifestyle here in one of Canada’s least expensive cities.
It seems I got much more for my dollar when I was traveling. Why?
A Culture of Unnecessaries
Here in the West, a lifestyle of unnecessary spending has been deliberately cultivated and nurtured in the public by big business. Companies in all kinds of industries have a huge stake in the public’s penchant to be careless with their money. They will seek to encourage the public’s habit of casual or non-essential spending whenever they can.
In the documentary The Corporation, a marketing psychologist discussed one of the methods she used to increase sales. Her staff carried out a study on what effect the nagging of children had on their parents’ likelihood of buying a toy for them. They found out that 20% to 40% of the purchases of their toys would not have occurred if the child didn’t nag its parents. One in four visits to theme parks would not have taken place. They used these studies to market their products directly to children, encouraging them to nag their parents to buy.
This marketing campaign alone represents many millions of dollars that were spent because of demand that was completely manufactured.
“You can manipulate consumers into wanting, and therefore buying, your products. It’s a game.” ~ Lucy Hughes, co-creator of “The Nag Factor”
This is only one small example of something that has been going on for a very long time. Big companies didn’t make their millions by earnestly promoting the virtues of their products, they made it by creating a culture of hundreds of millions of people that buy way more than they need and try to chase away dissatisfaction with money.
We buy stuff to cheer ourselves up, to keep up with the Joneses, to fulfill our childhood vision of what our adulthood would be like, to broadcast our status to the world, and for a lot of other psychological reasons that have very little to do with how useful the product really is. How much stuff is in your basement or garage that you haven’t used in the past year?
The real reason for the forty-hour workweek
The ultimate tool for corporations to sustain a culture of this sort is to develop the 40-hour workweek as the normal lifestyle. Under these working conditions people have to build a life in the evenings and on weekends. This arrangement makes us naturally more inclined to spend heavily on entertainment and conveniences because our free time is so scarce.
I’ve only been back at work for a few days, but already I’m noticing that the more wholesome activities are quickly dropping out of my life: walking, exercising, reading, meditating, and extra writing.
The one conspicuous similarity between these activities is that they cost little or no money, but they take time.
Suddenly I have a lot more money and a lot less time, which means I have a lot more in common with the typical working North American than I did a few months ago. While I was abroad I wouldn’t have thought twice about spending the day wandering through a national park or reading my book on the beach for a few hours. Now that kind of stuff feels like it’s out of the question. Doing either one would take most of one of my precious weekend days!
The last thing I want to do when I get home from work is exercise. It’s also the last thing I want to do after dinner or before bed or as soon as I wake, and that’s really all the time I have on a weekday.
This seems like a problem with a simple answer: work less so I’d have more free time. I’ve already proven to myself that I can live a fulfilling lifestyle with less than I make right now. Unfortunately, this is close to impossible in my industry, and most others. You work 40-plus hours or you work zero. My clients and contractors are all firmly entrenched in the standard-workday culture, so it isn’t practical to ask them not to ask anything of me after 1pm, even if I could convince my employer not to.
The eight-hour workday developed during the industrial revolution in Britain in the 19th century, as a respite for factory workers who were being exploited with 14- or 16-hour workdays.
As technologies and methods advanced, workers in all industries became able to produce much more value in a shorter amount of time. You’d think this would lead to shorter workdays.
But the 8-hour workday is too profitable for big business, not because of the amount of work people get done in eight hours (the average office worker gets less than three hours of actual work done in 8 hours) but because it makes for such a purchase-happy public. Keeping free time scarce means people pay a lot more for convenience, gratification, and any other relief they can buy. It keeps them watching television, and its commercials. It keeps them unambitious outside of work.
We’ve been led into a culture that has been engineered to leave us tired, hungry for indulgence, willing to pay a lot for convenience and entertainment, and most importantly, vaguely dissatisfied with our lives so that we continue wanting things we don’t have. We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing.
Western economies, particularly that of the United States, have been built in a very calculated manner on gratification, addiction, and unnecessary spending. We spend to cheer ourselves up, to reward ourselves, to celebrate, to fix problems, to elevate our status, and to alleviate boredom.
Can you imagine what would happen if all of America stopped buying so much unnecessary fluff that doesn’t add a lot of lasting value to our lives?
The economy would collapse and never recover.
All of America’s well-publicized problems, including obesity, depression, pollution and corruption are what it costs to create and sustain a trillion-dollar economy. For the economy to be “healthy”, America has to remain unhealthy. Healthy, happy people don’t feel like they need much they don’t already have, and that means they don’t buy a lot of junk, don’t need to be entertained as much, and they don’t end up watching a lot of commercials.
The culture of the eight-hour workday is big business’ most powerful tool for keeping people in this same dissatisfied state where the answer to every problem is to buy something.
You may have heard of Parkinson’s Law. It is often used in reference to time usage: the more time you’ve been given to do something, the more time it will take you to do it. It’s amazing how much you can get done in twenty minutes if twenty minutes is all you have. But if you have all afternoon, it would probably take way longer.
Most of us treat our money this way. The more we make, the more we spend. It’s not that we suddenly need to buy more just because we make more, only that we can, so we do. In fact, it’s quite difficult for us to avoid increasing our standard of living (or at least our rate of spending) every time we get a raise.
I don’t think it’s necessary to shun the whole ugly system and go live in the woods, pretending to be a deaf-mute, as Holden Caulfield often fantasized. But we could certainly do well to understand what big commerce really wants us to be. They’ve been working for decades to create millions of ideal consumers, and they have succeeded. Unless you’re a real anomaly, your lifestyle has already been designed.
The perfect customer is dissatisfied but hopeful, uninterested in serious personal development, highly habituated to the television, working full-time, earning a fair amount, indulging during their free time, and somehow just getting by.
Is this you?
Two weeks ago I would have said hell no, that’s not me, but if all my weeks were like this one has been, that might be wishful thinking.
***
Related to this article:
How to Make Trillions of Dollars
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I'm David, and Raptitude is a blog about getting better at being human -- things we can do to improve our lives today.
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There is a Séneca’s quote which fits perfectly here, but I dont know enough to translate it (in an elegant way :P), and I couldnt find it in English (maybe anyone else could do it):
“Compra solamente lo necesario, no lo conveniente. Lo innecesario, aunque cueste un solo céntimo, es caro”.
“Buy only what is necessary, not what is convenient. What is unnecessary, even if it only costs one cent, is expensive.” :)
!Gracias!
The actual problem is we thinks too much about what others will think. And this is the only reason why we tend to buy unnecessary things. Just for a show off
True….Absolutely true.
No, it’s far from the only reason.
We also buy out of boredom and ennui. To cheer ourselves up, to try to fill that existential void, to make up for other things in our lives that are wrong or missing. It’s called “retail therapy.”
If that were the only reason, shit wouldn’t work…it’s so much more complicated!
I would suggest that we think too little of ourselves, and this fuels our need to have others think well. Far better to be good than look good.
It`s not so bad thinking about what others will think, that is the beginning of civilization. We simply fail to imagine what would we like them to think
This reminds of something I often tell myself, “Every convenience comes with a sacrifice.”
A very insightful phrase. Thanks for sharing.
Y’all, please read Edward Bernay’s 1928 book entitled ”Propaganda”. He is considered ‘the father of modern public relations’ and the book helps clarify the conditioning process. I would also recommend Guy Debord’s 1967 ”Society of the Spectacle” as it [partially] covers alienation and how we attempt to overcome it via consumption, including that of our self produced social spectacle.
Yes, I’ve been down David’s paths and the 40 hr work week, very much, requires reduction.
I totally understand what you are saying…. but I do not think we are all doomed to this fate… we have a choice on what we spend our money on. True, it is human nature to act this way in the 40hr work week situation, but we can consciously choose not to waste our money. We also can discipline ourselves to make better choices, like exercising in the evenings… it is harder… but not impossible!
We may even have the choice, have the power in our hands… But all the little things that happen in our days tire us so much, that is way too much easy to waste our money…
It’s not just about discipline…
We don’t have time: in the weekend we want to have fun!
We don’t have patience: our days run so fast…
We don’t have even the head in it’s place: the boss, the clients, they don’t want our happiness, they want the job done! the bank wants the bills paid! the “mirror”: it want our fitness, want that SUPER NEW DIET that will makes us “beautifull”!!).
It’s almost impossible to make the right decisions.
‘DISCIPLINE’ is the key…. It is a little hard to practice in the beginning. But once you get a hang of it, “want” and “waste” will visibly diminish.
Cheers!!!
You’re entirely correct; we could do that. But, how many of us do?
He’s right. I spend much of my money on things that I hope will provide much more satisfaction than they actually do.
But, I’d like to know more about the careful design of our lifestyle. I need more references to be convinced it’s some kind of corporate plot.
But you are merely suggesting we can push ourselves to adapt to something that we are not “doomed” to accept, rather than push for change that will entail far reaching beneficial results. That’s buying into the trap instead of truly freeing yourself from it. We can together work to create more significant change by not accepting and adapting ourselves to what is not in our best interests.
or, as the character Tyler Durden said in fight club – “the things you own, end up owning you!”
Do not show your beautiful body to world dear :)
Thanks Nico. I like that quote, especially the first line. That part really spoke to me.
Hello girls, thanks for the translation (I wasnt too hard now Im seing it, je..), and the comments.
Gracias muy mucho! :)
The transalated meaning I got is as follows:
Buy only what you need, not what is convenient. The unnecessary, even if it costs a penny, it’s expensive.
Here’s the English translation, “Buy only what is necessary, not desirable. The unnecessary, even if it costs a penny, it’s expensive. “
Buy only that which is necessary, not that which is convenient. The unnecessary, even if it costs only a cent, is expensive.
Here’s a shameful misconception that “THE MAN” has about our affluent economy; to quote from the article:
“Can you imagine what would happen if all of America stopped buying so much unnecessary fluff that doesn’t add a lot of lasting value to our lives?
The economy would collapse and never recover. For the economy to be “healthy”, America has to remain unhealthy.”
No, this is not true at all. Our society would be MORE efficient and innovative if most of the public were in fact healthy and mentally satisfied. The environment would be better off without so much waste and pollution, People could concentrate more fully and generally have much more stamina without all their diabetic cancer-inducing junk foods and booze and lack of sleep and pharmecuticals.
On the surface, to some fat cats sitting at the top of their crystal skyscraper offices, it SEEMS like the economy flourishes in chaos, but it’s just spinning out of control and it looks bright and fiery. It’s only a matter of time before the supernova finishes exploding and an ugly black hole is left sucking everything down.
Fix it now, while you can, in any way you can.
In 1935 Bertrand Russel argued that a 4 hour work day, giving people enough free time to use those hours in innovative and creative ways, would actually stimulate the economy:
http://libcom.org/files/Bertrand%20Russell%20-%20In%20Praise%20of%20Idleness.pdf
this is not Seneca, but Cato’s words. Seneca was quoting him in his letters.
in this context, Does it really matter who said what ? don’t be such a smart ass
he isn’t being a smart ass, he is just pointing something out. I definitely benefited.
Of course it matters, unless you’re a moron who just mindlessly spouts qoutes to make him or herself seem smart.
It does matter. I’m glad for knowing the actual source. The real question is why a not-at-all-inflammatory clarification such as this would make you so upset.
The funny thing is, I doubt either Seneca or Cato spoke Spanish. Does anyone have a reference to the original text?
Yeah, lighten up.
Yeah i thought as much, it pretty much encapsulates the ascetic mindset, not one i would like to live by. Everything in moderation suits me fine.
Finally – a reasonable person.
Also,
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” Seneca (Epistles)
Oh my, this strikes a chord (and I recently re-read Catcher in the Rye in some of those precious weekend/evening moments). I consider myself a reasonably conscious person, but it’s so easy to get sucked into the grind of work and then buying things to soothe and reward. Scary.
TOTALLY know what you mean, David. Jeff and I have been through this cycle a number of times. We give up the high-paying corporate gig for more free (quality) time and, despite the lack of income, we make it just fine… we’re often happier, in fact.
Then we go back to a higher paying situation and instantly revert to more nights out on the town, more restaurant meals, more movies and casual spending. Now we’re back to a lower-paying situation (by choice) and kicking ourselves for “wasting” all that money!
It’s kind of a feast or famine thing. When we don’t have the money, we get resourceful and find ways to get by. When we get the money, we feel entitled to a little splurging after going without for a while. It’s a weird cycle. “Human, all too human.”
;)
Well said!
Agreed. I believe so much in investing instead of wasting. Do it right, and one day you can have enough investments to live comfortably off of….take vacations when you want, as long as you want, and even pass the investments to your offspring……Much more than retirement can do.
Unless you die before then.
Unless you die before then.
Well, that just means you are not a very good person and need ot be stronger and have more willpower.
Thank you for your contribution.
“Feast or famine” sounds like code for “Ants and the grasshopper” — if you can’t learn to have discipline and save money when it’s pouring in, you’ll be a slave to corporate America (or Canada, or some other corporate oligarchy) forever.
This attitude that it’s those in power holding us down is robbing us of the very real power not to waste our money and buy into the consumer lifestyle. Pretending it’s not our fault (our lives are DESIGNED this way) is just rationalizing laziness.
The key point is that the employers are deliberately running you ragged. Making you tired so you need coffee, so you don’t have time to cook, etc. etc.
If you don’t have the power to control your own time, you don’t have the power to control your money either.
There are ways to avoid this, but they mostly involve spending time at your desk deliberately not working, which can be hard to do without getting fired.
This is the most logical response I’ve read.
This rings true, but it’s so depressing. I’m just a student, not even completely sure what work I want to go into, but knowing that pretty much every option I have means having so little free time makes me despair a little. My favourite activities take time, not money…
There are options, such as personal consulting of some kind, that would allow you to avoid the 40-hour workweek. But most of us end up in a 40-hour-based industry and it’s hard to start again somewhere else. I’m bent on freeing up my time, but it won’t happen overnight. I wish I’d known this while I was still a student.
Thank you so much for this article, David! And for saying that there is hope. I am a student, too, and was wondering the same thing as Sam.
Also, you posted this on my birthday. :) I don’t believe in coincidences.
I had a similar experience after being out of work for three months. I didn’t do all the traveling that you did, but I did spend three wonderful months with my family doing a variety of local activities and enjoying the freedom from work.
While I was out of work we definitely spent less on frivolous things. Now that I’m working again, we spend more eating out, seeing movies, and on little things here and there. Since I have so little time for enjoyable activities, I tend to cram more into my weekends, and it’s usually a time/money trade off. Meaning that since I have less time, I’m willing to spend more money for entertainment.
So! What do you think you will do?
Stash away those $20’s and invest them, then perhaps take a very early retirement?
Disappear inside the job?
Curious to see how this will pan out…. :)
I’ll build a stash, honing my smart spending chops in the mean time, then when the time is right, flee to another city and build an empire of my own.
What kind of engineer are you? I am an electrical engineer by trade, but I recently got my masters in social work. I am wondering, for both of us, if there is someway to be an engineer for justice and avoid the 9-5 grind.
Thomas, there is a great need for engineers to engage in “social” (not FB social), using tech to strengthen the natural web of trust and reverse the shameful privacy invading and manipulation, centralization of power and capital and isolation-building engineers are responsible for at the behest of corporate profits.
Yes. Been pointing this out for years to those who look down their nose at me for my less than usual pursuits – always family – never friends. We have all been trained to do that – think less of those who work as little as possible and daydream/meditate/walk/smell the roses. “After all”, they can actually be seen thinking, “if everyone did that the world would spin out of control!” I have found that working for others even part time is a soul killer. And, as you point out here, I never seem to have anything to show for the effort – except of course a lack of creative output for the duration. My formula for true happiness is simplify, simplify, simplify (so as not to need The Man) and work only from your own passion.
That’s another awful side-effect — you become an “eccentric” just by taking another approach to working. I have already had a lot more detractors than supporters speak up whenever I talk about my self-employment goal. I can’t blame them; we all get conditioned the same way.
Self-employment, while useful for the individual who succeeds, is not a good collective solution. I think we should dream bigger, imagining ways to solve the problem for everyone.
I disagree. It’s actually not your business to solve other people’s problems. That is akin to a bailout and nobody will learn from it. 95% of the time, when someone comes with a “solution” that he/she thinks will help everyone, it involves an appeal to the government and then, when government gets involved, it just screws it up. It also gives people a false sense of compassion, that they are helping others, when they’re really just enabling others and typically, this false notion also falls back on the “helper” in that he/she won’t even bother to clean up his/her own backyard while dreaming of how everyone’s backyards can be cleaned up. Personal responsibility needs to come BEFORE social responsibility or you will end up with only an illusion of both and a reality of neither.
I agree, but I don’t think there is a single solution for everyone. People can only make personal changes. A shift in culture can trigger many personal changes, and I think that’s the best we can hope for. With a lot of people taking alternate approaches to work and income, the success stories will encourage others, and it will compound in successive generations.
Actually there are many, MANY more of us out there than you think who aren’t so conditioned. Look for the right people, preferably outside of your office and work environment. You’ll find them.
Of course, the fact that most professional jobs take up long hours encourages us to look for friends in our professional circles. Hmmmm.
Dan
It goes the same for the creative types.
Those of us who would rather spend our time building/inventing things in our basements than vegging out in front of a television, or spending the evening at a bar.
Even preference to reading books is presented as strange.
You hit the nail on the head with “work only from your own passion”, our culture teaches us to strive for the puritan work ethic, that work should not be fun, work is supposed to be hard.
The truth is, as technology gets more advanced, industries will become more automated and this will all but eradicate the lower and middle class jobs.
The irony is that those of us who work only from our own passions turn out to be the ones with job security, and those doing what culture has taught them was the right way to earn a living, are the ones risking their financial security pursuing a lifestyle they’re likely not even happy with.
Well…the fact that people call work “work” – as opposed to calling work “play” – is actually the inherent fundamental problem.
I’ve been fortunate enough to be one of the < 1% that actually ENJOY my work. (And almost always have). But there are a LOT more people that would rather just sit on a pile of cash than to get that feeling of actually accomplishing something (even if it's for a private corporation) which still – at some level – is for the betterment of society-at-large. (Build better cars).
And I've only BEEN at my job for like…a month and already my supervisor is already talking about plans for advancement and leadership with me and how in my long career with this company that I am likely to move up and on to better things. And there's three pay grades separating me and my supervisor, which if I take a role at his level, I jump three pay grades just like that. (Median pay is about $100k/year). And I've only GRADUATED college 3 years ago.
(Not a bragging thing – but it's a "do what you love, and the money will follow" thing). Too many people do stuff only for the money. And it has been my experience that those that chase after money never really truly "get" it. I specifically focused on a very highly specialized area of engineering (computational simulations), which I figured would carve out a niche market for myself. It took about 10 years to get the whole thing set up, but the results speak for themselves basically. Even *I'm* in shock, awe, and amazement that things actually worked out this way.
And what I've also noticed is that a LOT of people are yelling at the world, into the wind, because it's FARRR easier to do that than it is to learn all of the different maths and discretization techniques and algorithms and all of the physics and the Navier-Stokes equations.
(North) Americans don't seem to value hard work and education as much as they proclaim they do or their importance. And you see that a lot when people would rather lounge in front of a TV and be a couch-potato rather than read a 578-page Federal Register (legal document that's about as big as a decent-sized book) that describes how EPA and NHTSA are going to implement the new and upcoming CAFE standards for cars for model years 2017-2025.
And THEREIN, also lies a FUNDAMENTAL difference. *I'd* MUCH rather read the Federal Register and fill my mind with GOOD information than to watch whatever junk/crap they're pushing on the TV nowadays and passing that crap as "entertainment".
Ewen-
I can tell you, as a social worker who is “doing what I love,” there will never be any money that “follows” from my pursuit of happiness. What I can say, however, is that when you actually are doing what you love, the money (assuming you have enough to survive) that is promised to follow suddenly loses much of its value.
I personally believe that there needs to be a paradigm shift wherein our society begins to value personal emotional/social/spiritual health as much as it does biological health. Once that happens, and people begin to take a lunch break away from the 8 hour work day for yoga in a park, or join each other on the porch for wine instead of going to happy hours, etc., I imagine we would begin to see the lifestyle to which JJ aspires gradually become accepted as “the norm”. This shift in our constructed consciousness will help re-define “wealth” to correlate more directly with wellness and contentedness.
I am beginning to notice this change in our generation (I am close to your age), and my opinion is that it is a direct result of the recent (i.e., over the last 25 years) focus on diet and exercise, as well as what I would call an “en masse” collective diagnosis of depression/anxiety (a reflection of our society’s trend toward managed care). The premium society put on the positivist medical model for mental health (an entirely separate, but equally important necessary paradigm shift, in my opinion) then prompted the surge in research/development of SSRIs, benzos, and other psychotropic drugs. What followed after the dietary insight increase and the collective affect decrease was, I believe, that our generation witnessed the preceding generation begin to realize the health risks of consuming a diet consisting almost entirely of processed foods and beverages while simultaneously beginning to feel the effects of long-term psychotropic medication use (which, by the way, I’m not implying is not indicated for many folks… but which I am asserting is a symptom of a larger issue stemming from our apparent epidemic of discontent and depression).
We watch this process, and I believe, many of us internalize the desire to not repeat this cycle- hence the recent upsurge in physical/emotional wellness practices such as Pilates/yoga/meditation/etc., consumption of organic foods, “up-cycling” items to avoid waste, etc. (trends which are also encouraged by recent economic issues). Therefore, you have both the cause and the process, that (hopefully) will help JJ to become a member of a growing majority of like-minded individuals.
More importantly, though, I believe there needs to be another paradigm shift, one which helps increase your own awareness of the process you engaged in when you privileged your own definition of “GOOD information” over others’ definitions….thereby reinforcing the dominant social discourse that dictates to the masses what our tastes should be, what we should want, and, indeed, what is worthwhile knowledge to consume. Why do you think that there needs to be some sort of “knowledge hierarchy” which oppresses any people who may have a varying definition of worthwhile information from your own? Why is reading a legal document on CAFE standards any “better” than filling one’s mind with, say, knowledge about dominant systemic and organizational processes and the nature of human behavior regarding the change process, which would presumably help you become a more effective tool in the pursuit of standards which ally with one’s personal values regarding the environment and which may be in opposition to the values espoused in large lobbying firms that represent the oil/auto industries, etc.? What have you done in your life, personally, that leads you to accept that your own definition of certain concepts is somehow more accurate, meaningful, or valuable than others’ definitions? What narrative do you use to justify giving yourself the right to dictate for your fellow humans what does and does not constitute “GOOD information”? This role you have assumed, a role in which have allowed yourself to freely judge others, subjugates anyone whose definition of “good knowledge” may be influenced by factors other than your own. For example, someone watching a program on TV may be doing so because they have an auditory learning style (which is better served by TV or radio) instead of a visual learning style (better served by reading). Or perhaps the person “lounging” in front of the television watching what you describe as the “junk/crap they’re…passing…as ‘entertainment'” may put a personal premium on social support, and they may attain a great deal of satisfaction from the maintenance of social relationships… which happen to be fostered by increasing awareness of shared cultural trends…which happen to be reflected in popular television programs.
Sincerely,
One of the many “(north)Americans who don’t seem to value hard work and education as much as they proclaim they do” (and who, incidentally, generally views the propagation of over-arching negative stereotypes as an indication of the speaker’s limited comprehension of social cues/common courtesy).
For someone not trying to brag, you are doing a seriously excellent job – just imagine how annoying you could be if you DID try! I would no doubt be in shock, awe AND amazement.
if you do what you love, money will not necesarily follow. If, say, you love sharing knowledge with young minds, you will probably become a teacher and that is never going to make you rich (either financially or in terms of leisure). You happen to love something lucrative – good on you! But you shouldn’t assume that people not doing so well simply ‘can’t be bothered’. They are making different choices to you.
The biggest obstacle for “doing what you love and letting the money follow” is taking that phrase too literally. Both the cheerleaders and the naysayers engage in this reality distortion.
A passion for teaching does not mean one has to be a public schoolteacher and therefore not make much money.
Following a passion for poetry does not mean one has to find a miraculous way to monetize the un-monetizable.
What neither side wants to take on is the fairly recent idea that anybody who pays you a paycheck is entitled to your passionate devotion. They are not. Example: a former employer was shocked when I told them I didn’t care how much the bonus was. I don’t have time to put in weekend and evening work time because I had other things to do. That’s how I follow my passion.
“Civilization is the limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities.” ~ Mark Twain
:-)
To me, it’s always seemed that it’s the option to spend that makes or breaks unnecessary consumption more than time itself. I mean, Parkinson’s law works with both free time and time on the clock, and if you were working the same hours but for a much lower rate of pay, as many people do, you’d no doubt find better (cheaper) ways to spend your limited free time.
Diversion is also a psychological necessity, and you’re all right in exclaiming that convenience is the real draw with unnecessary spending… But either way you don’t have to take the bait.
Good job driving the point home about big business and the 40 hour work week. You must know Tim Ferriss, right?
i think the point he was trying to make was that you waste money thru diversion and unnecessary spending regardless of your actual cheque size. a person of less means simply buys the $6.99 for a 6 pack beer instead of the $45 bottle of spirits or the $100+ bottle of luxury drinks…
the lesser means person buys “useless crap” on sale or at dollar stores while maybe david buys his crap at bed bath and beyond….
but at the end of the day if both people had less time at work they could cook a home cooked meal, talk to their family at the dinner table and share a piece of their life with each other, instead of rushing home after work with some McDonalds and sitting in front of the tv ignoring each other desperately trying to relax just a little before waking up to do it again. people spend over $100 on cable tv, thats 1 to 2 days pay for many people, with all the adverts on tv IT SHOULD BE FREE!
It’s not me because I haven’t had a full time job in nearly two years. How did you find a good job so quickly?
I had a contact with this company, and they happened to need someone who did exactly what I do.
Yeah, I figured. Networking is key. That, and the Canadian economy. :)
David,
This is a great point and one that is hard to notice unless you cross a boundary of some kind (in your case, from “full-time traveling” to “full-time working”). Carefully observing the process of reaching equilibrium in your “new life” is a great way to gain first hand insight into the assumptions that drive work, business, and society. I appreciate you recording your observations and sharing them here.
Back when I was working full time, I’d think nothing of exchanging money (sometimes too much of it!) for evening or weekend leisure activities – after all, I only have a limited time “off” and I deserve to make the most of it.
Your point about activities like walking, exercising, reading, meditating, and writing taking lots of time but little or no money is also valuable. It reminds me to follow what is financially cheap, but personally priceless.
Hi Jack. Yes, I did need that transition to notice what was happening. I’ve been a part of the 9-5 working world my whole adult life, so the downsides just seemed to be the downsides oflife rather than just the lifestyle I’m living.
(from Wikipedia)
“The Federation Credit is the basic monetary unit of the United Federation of Planets in the fictional Star Trek series. The economy of the Federation is quite unlike the economics of the 20th and 21st centuries. It is a post scarcity society. There is no poverty and no hunger, and the pursuit of money is not a driving force in society. A “New World Economy” began to take hold on Earth and throughout the Federation in the late 22nd century and eventually made money obsolete. Replicators and other advanced technologies provide for virtually all basic material wants and needs equally and sufficiently to all. Every citizen of the Federation has plenty of food of virtually any type they want, clothes, shelter, recreational and luxury items. All their basic material needs are easily met. A society based around self-improvement and collectively improving the human race instead of cutthroat competition, combined with heavy automation, means labor is essentially free, menial tasks are automated, and money is obsolete.”
Utopia!
I really wonder, though, if having the capacity to meet everyone’s needs would actually create a scarcity-free society. Desires are like Kleenex boxes: take one away and another pops up in its place. I think people would still feel like something’s missing, but maybe that’s where the self-improvement comes in.
Resource Based Economy! In my view, that concept designed by Jacque Fresco may be one of the most feasible up to this day as how to conduct human affairs. And as to desires, imagine a world where you don’t have to worry about earning a living, technologically advanced, and there is no industry nagging you to buy this or that. In that world we will remember to take care of our inner child: the epitome of curiosity. We will venture, we will question, discover; further science, express art, and of course know what life is all about: creating, sharing, learning. So the question then becomes: What kind of desires are we going reinforce? And there comes self-improvement as you said, David.
Resource Based Economy! In my view, that concept designed by Jacque Fresco may be one of the most feasible up to this day as how to conduct human affairs.
Wow how strange, I quit my job two weeks ago and while I was unemployed I didn’t spend a dime on anything unnecessary and was completely fine. Then I got a job about three days ago and as soon as I knew I was going to be working again, I starting thinking ok now I need a new “this” or I need to get “that”. Then I caught myself doing it and I was trying to figure out why all of the sudden I needed all this stuff when a few days ago I was completely fine without it. As weird as it sounds it almost made going back to work a little depressing. It’s just funny that I read this now, as it was my first day back to work. Great article, I definetely think I needed to read this today.
Sounds like my experience. I like my new job, but it is more than a bit depressing to have to push my life back into the evenings and weekends again.
Absolutely brilliant post! I’m glad to answer: “Hell no, that’s not me”, but you are right that it is so very, very easy to slip into it.
One question on this: “the average office worker gets less than three hours of actual work done in 8 hours” – I once read something similar and wasn’t able to find the source anymore later, when I needed it for a post. Any chance you have one? Would be greatly appreciated! :)
I don’t have a source for you. It’s anecdotal but I’ve seen it in a lot of places. I have also been that office worker. ;)
I was at a company once, that demanded that everyone work 45-50 hours a week (and once you did that they’d demand 55-60 and so on) even if all you did was sit in your chair for the extra hour or two a day. Literally the appearance of working was more important to them than the actual amount of work, as was their ability to “control” people.
Wow. Great post! I’ve noticed this in my own life.
Took me a while to actually read this post because so many people were tweeting it, it seems like the site went down for a bit =)
I love how you make the point that consumerism is driven out of the being “unhappy” and dissatisfied. I think the problem much of the time isn’t that we just like stuff, there’s a much deeper issue.
Yeah the site was down for a bit. Another post actually went crazy on stumbleupon and too many users were on at once. I’ll have to sort this out with my host; it’s happened before.
Human beings are chronically dissatisfied, it’s the human condition, and business exacerbates that on purpose.
I think this is true, but also necessary. What would happen if an alcoholic stopped drinking? His life as an alcoholic would collapse and never recover. Our economy is already hitting rock bottom—it is time to face the truth and deal with the addiction.
I think in the long run it is necessary too. But I suspect people would not necessarily react to that collapse by sitting down and examining the root of their dissatisfaction. This conditioning can only be undone by individuals who really want to understand the source of their problem, and take responsibility for it. I don’t think that will ever happen on a large scale. Most people react to the collapsing economy by blaming their president.
When I read that portion of your post, I stopped and thought about it. It would truly be a shake-up and worth seeing but, as you said in the post and your comment, the reaction would not be as “enlightening” as we’d like it to be.
I have a prideful feeling when I read about how much money is involved in our U.S. economy and knowing, as one of its consumers, how much stuff I can and do buy. I haven’t considered doing as you suggest and trying to reduce its scale. Worth some thought, though, so I’ll see how reading your thoughts impact mine. :-)
What I can say is that in my efforts to return to a cash-only lifestyle, I’ve become mindful about spending and my life in general. I have begun spending less because I’m only spending the money I have and, as I’ve separated the big pool of money into smaller, themed puddles, there isn’t as much to spend.
I work because I want money to utilize for enhancing my life. I work because I enjoy the process of preparing for somewhere to be, being part of a group of people united in a purpose and for feeling satisfaction about what I’ve accomplished. I also completely agree that my “conditioning” (to agree to work & exchange so many hours of my life for money), as well as entitlement issues I have from growing up not having (and wanting to have) as much as others, leads me to stay in the worker pool. Though I have thankfully become mindful as I’m getting older and have created my own family, and now spend my “free” time in ways that enrich the human and not solely the economy.
Actually mate, an alcoholic who stops drinking can easily die as a direct consequence. ER rooms stock vodka for this reason.
No, that is not necessary. If a person with a minor alcohol problem stops drinking, then their life as an alcoholic stops and they can get back to a ‘normal’ life. But in severe cases of alcoholism going cold turkey can be lethal. This gets significantly worse though as the events of the last couple of years have shown how the state of the economy in one nation is greatly tied to that of the rest of the world.
These ideas could be not only considered revolutionary but subversive by remind us of the reality of the “Matrix” in which we all live today, we are nothing more than little sources of energy that maintain the energy hungry monster that our economy represents.
Great post! I couldn’t agree more, I’ve experienced something similar when I took a weeklong trip to Mount Fuji. When we live in such a busy world I feel like I live for the world and not for myself.
I think what you said about the truly valuable things, reading, walking, meditating is very true. But how do you think we should balance society and our own time, so to speak, when we are confined in such a programmed lifestyle?
David,
I hear you and your readers…
My lifestyle may have already been designed..but I chose to break the mold :) And now life is truly incredible…I don’t have much material, but what I have in all other ways is genuine and dream like..My children now have the same choice..perhaps they shall pursue conventional, but at least they know they have a choice..
As I tend to my “little garden” and share generously from the abundance there, perhaps others might feel a bit more comfortable making changes within their own lifestyles..
There are those who criticize because they do not understand, but there are many who applaud my choices even if they would not live the same..accepting either is about my Ego..so I release and live from my heart..where there is overflowing peace and all in my life stems from that…
Thank you for this! I’ve been feeling this way forever, as I’ve been working very part time as a house painter. I do one job every couple of months and the $ lasts me for a long time. I spend my ‘spare’ time, gardening, reading, cooking, and caring for my child. I am a better (single) parent because I’m not killing myself in a 40hr work week that would completely drain me. I’m 44 years old, and really want to get out of the house painting biz as it’s not a healthy trade…and I’m asthmatic. But what to do…an IT career? What other job will let me work so sporadically…I’d love to live in the country and be self sufficient…but can’t afford it. I live in Calgary. A million thanks for putting my feelings into such eloquent words!!
“Can you imagine what would happen if all of America stopped buying so much unnecessary fluff that doesn’t add a lot of lasting value to our lives?
The economy would collapse and never recover.”
Not a macroeconomist, but it would definitely be disastrous for national unemployment and living standard if we stopped spending.
So I’ve wondered: what if instead of buying stuff, we give away our money to nonprofits instead? Cash is still flowing through the economy, and our individual consciousness is still healthy, too.
You inspired me to write a post on this Brace New Giving World :)
I will check it out, thanks Brigid.
What about the people that make the stuff that we wouldn’t be buying?
They would lose their jobs.
This is why this system is so dangerous. This economy now depends very highly on frivolous spending. So if people stopped buying so much convenience food, magazines, cash-register impulse items and K-Tel wonder products, many businesses would become unprofitable and the people who work for them would lose their income. Couple this with the cultural tradition of buying the biggest house you can possibly get with your income, and a lot of people would be in dire straits.
Most of the money that enters the US economy is spent on items that don’t offer a lot of real value to people’s lives. Because this habitual overspending is so widespread, many people have been able to make a living off of selling this kind of low-value stuff. So if suddenly people became more discerning with their dollars, most businesses couldn’t keep going.
Exactly. Our dependence is genuinely frightening to me. To think from where we started, thousands and thousands of years ago, as you addressed, to where we are now is mind boggling. What more is to come? How will our society change? Will we increase our dependence on unnecessary items to the point of eventual self destruction? Just sitting down and thinking about the world, from opposite spectrums- universe, to subparticles, and in between – can be one of the most incredible thought processes.
“…what if instead of buying stuff, we give away our money to nonprofits instead? Cash is still flowing through the economy..” I was more or less questioning how that would work and how cash would still be flowing through our economy.
I’ve posted this quote already, but it seems appropriate here:
“This is the morality of the Slave State, applied in circumstances totally unlike those in which it arose. No wonder the result has been disastrous. Let us take an illustration. Suppose that, at a given moment, a certain number of people are engaged in the manufacture of pins. They make as many pins as the world needs, working (say) eight hours a day. Someone makes an invention by which the same number of men can make twice as many pins: pins are already so cheap that hardly any more will be bought at a lower price. In a sensible world, everybody concerned in the manufacturing of pins would take to working four hours instead of eight(…). But in the actual world (…) the men still work eight hours, there are too many pins, some employers go bankrupt, and half the men previously concerned in making pins are thrown out of work. There is, in the end, just as much leisure as on the other plan, but half the men are totally idle while half are still overworked. In this way, it is insured that the unavoidable leisure shall cause misery all round instead of being a universal source of happiness. Can anything more insane be imagined?”
http://libcom.org/files/Bertrand%20Russell%20-%20In%20Praise%20of%20Idleness.pdf
Bertrand Russel goes on to argue that a 4 hr working day would not only provide more employment by spreading available work more equitably, but that since people would have ample spare time to cultivate interests and passions and become more innovative and ambitious, they would, perhaps, create new businesses that provide further opportunities for employment.
This was written in 1935, and yet nothing has been done to improve our failing economic model, which is STILL based on the model of the slave state.
I don’t think it’s a big secret that the 8 hr day-and the consumerism the overworked indulge in to fill the void-is designed as nothing more than a form of mind-control (just as our education system is designed to raise parrots, not thinkers): it is far safer for any government to have half the population overworked and too exhausted to do anything meaningful, and the other half unemployed and too busy struggling to survive to do anything meaningful, than to have the whole population comfortably employed part-time, with enough leisure to indulge in…critical thinking. Now we wouldn’t want that would we, it would result in revolution! Anyone who believes our modern “democracies” are any less totalitarian than the marxist and fascist ideologies of the past are only fooling themselves.
While I loved your article, I don’t believe that a healthy economy is based on an unhealthy population. It is one particular type of economy-specifically the economy that relies upon brainwashing and disguising totalitarianism as democracy to keep the people in power comfortable, that requires an unhealthy population in order to survive.
I don’t think there is any real danger of everybody snapping out of it, and quitting the buying habit en masse. The public is too highly conditioned. But we as individuals can decide what working situation is best for us.
I had hopes for us snapping out of it en masse during this latest economic downturn but alas… but it did have a good effect on a lot of people. How many times do we need to get clobbered to GET that sustainable is good?
I remember having those hopes too. I thought the recession would create a terrific chance for people to learn to appreciate what they still have. But it doesn’t seem to have had that effect. Instead, the public latched onto the idea that a new president would fix everything, and when he didn’t, they blamed him for it.
So there was no across-the-board change in philosophy about consumerism, but I’m sure some people got some lessons they’ll never forget
My husband and I are planning on moving out of the country in a year and a half, so all purchases are evaluated on the basis of: When we move, do we want to either A. pay to pack and ship it overseas, B. try to sell it, C. give it away, or D. throw it away? If the answer to all of these questions is no, then we know it’s not really important and we don’t buy it. It’s a good way to evaluate how much you really want or need something. We end up forgoing almost every potential purchase, and we couldn’t be happier.
Nicely put together article which I think succinctly describes the modern day predicament – basically it sucks. You certainly described my life prior to 2004 very accurately, before I woke up. I found several solutions to the problem, with varying levels of success. For example I tried working just 6 months of the year as a contractor, saved money, and then did what I really wanted the other 6 months. Of course, you have to get yourself into a situation where you can do that which takes time. It was OK, it was just too stop/start/disorientating. I also tried part-time working etc. My latest solution is to move towards quitting the job world completely, to free up the maximum amount of time, final pieces are slotting nicely into place, nearly there now!
Wonderfully insightful article.
I left my 80hr/week NYC job last summer. After about 15 years of that schedule, I was burnt out and needed to stop. I saved enough $ to let me live frugally for about 3-5 years unemployed.
The first major thing I noticed was how much I had been spending on dry cleaning!! Holy cow! (and Banana Republic, and buying expensive things for my husband and other family members to apologize for never being around, and maybe to prove to myself that all the working was worth something). Now I spend about 10% of the amount per week compared to what I spent when I was working.
The last year I’ve been on a wandering course of re-discovery… I lost myself somewhere once the job took over my identity.
I love having my schedule wide open now and I can’t imagine going back to a 9-5 (or 9-9, or 24/7) gig, working nights, weekends, chained to my blackberry, on conference calls with Hong Kong at 0300. I’m in much better health, made new friends, feel more relaxed/less angry, and all of my relationships are on a better level.
Now I’m trying to find ways to just make “enough” and not have to go back to working in that “full-time” capacity.
I’m hooked on your site!
80 hours a week, I can’t imagine that. Glad you found a better way, Laura.
Hi there! Same thing happened to me! Well, perhaps not to your degree but I was stuck at a 40+ hr job that made me miserable. I made fairly decent money considering that people around me are having such a difficult time getting high paying jobs. I finally had enough one day, simply snapped. Being over worked, under appreciated, I just couldn’t do it anymore. I was used to having an active lifestyle prior to this job. I had gained 30lbs after being there for just a yr. In an attempt to regain my life I tried to regain myself without letting go of the job… It was near to impossible. I quit. I didn’t care how much money I had in the bank. I just wanted to BREATHE again. A great weight came off my shoulders, no more angry clients, sales quotas, late office night’s, coming in on the weekend, going hrs without eating, sleepin only 3 hrs a night, nightmares about being fired. Gone. Although I am still without a job, I spend less. I’m more active now, I’ve lost all the weight. I even caught up with some books I’ve been looking to read for quite some time. My fiance and I are making love again… Yeah, that had suffered too. I just want to be happy and at peace.
When one is working a 40-hour work week, TV certainly doesn’t contribute to worthwhile spending of free time. I got rid of my TV last year, and not only am I not wasting my free time, I’m much more disinclined to throw away my money on accumulating stuff as a quick-fix to fill a void in my life.
I canceled my TV service a few years ago and never looked back. My apartment was really different without the TV jabbering all the time — it was so peaceful, and I found better things to do pretty quickly.
But right now I’m house-sitting for a relative and I find myself watching TV again. Old habits die hard.
+1
I used to live in a studio in minneapolis. Had a projector. Projectors somehow are much less addictive than a TV. You don’t feel the need to turn em on.
I am back to having a TV though since the projector died. And the bad habit is back.
Back in the 1970s I think it was, TV was found to be literally hypnotic – the refresh rate on the screen matched some brainwave patterns that kept people entrained. I turned it off in 1993 but I still notice the effect in restaurants.
AhHah, Tamara!
“…the refresh rate on the screen matched some brainwave patterns that kept people entrained” – Thanks for that.
I hate being able to see a television in a bar or restaurant, too. Even “sports” that I don’t care a whit about, keep attracting my eyes (and a bit of attention)!
So will you quit the job and get your life back? If not, why not? I’ve been on the verge of doing it for a long time, feeling all the time spent on my education and work are largely wasted (and that’s many years of waste :(). But something stops me – I think fear, mostly.
We are all so entrenched in this lifestyle, and we really don’t know anything else, we fear the unknown, so to step away is a hard step to take. Currently working very few hours since christmas I don’t really plan on working full time again. But I still have no idea what I will do with my life, because in times where I am short of work I simply look for work. and waste time watching the idiot box. (a habit that is pretty much dead – just the sheer amount of advertising makes me sick and angry) I think the education system (uk) crushed my creativity and know I must get it back, and I doubt that a full time work regime is ever going to allow that.
Oh David, it is so true. I liked what you said about, “We spend to cheer ourselves up.” And you are exactly right in that we spend for convenience when we don’t have as much available time. I know I do.
It is easier to not think too much about tomorrow when you are young enough to go out and get a job on any given day. I think we don’t plan enough for our old age when we spend with abandon in our youth.
Lee Iacocca who a successful CEO and business guru talks about different phases of earning in our lives. From 20-30 we should be learning, as much as we can by formal education, trying out different jobs, exploring the world, starting families. From 30-55 we work and gain experience. We become experts in our fields, we put the experience to work and build our value of service. We raise families through these years, we have a lot of energy at this point, some education to back it up. Then from 50- – 65 we are at our peak earning years. Save and invest those peak earnings to thoroughly enjoy retirement. Save early and retire young (at 65 instead of 75).
I don’t know that he is right, It is a philosophy. When we are 30, it is hard to imagine being too old to work.
Excellent stuff to think about in your post today.
I’m about to cross over into that second bracket. Wish me luck :)
I don’t agree. The job market is changing. People beyond 50 are finding it difficult to find jobs. If you are frugal and don’t have children, or if you have children but don’t make them your gods who should get everyting they want (and if you don’t pay expensive education for them, which really is pedigree) then you can and should save for old age as soon as you have an income. Waiting until you are 50 is insane. Depending on the trade you’re in, you could be out of work by then… specially in competitive trades, or very physical ones.
I can’t agree with you more. I am a 53 year old registered nurse. I have done well enough take my summers off now. This year I took off from March 1st until I go back on Sept 15th. I realize that I am extremely lucky to be able to do this. This is my 3rd year to take months off at a time. Before that I worked 12 hour shifts from 7pm to 7am. Work ruled my life, my sleeping habits, my relationships.
Now, as I prepare to go back to work, I am dreading it. My back is fried, my wrists, my knees, my brain…Nursing is difficult and stressful. I wish I had not let myself get so caught up in the ‘stuff’ trap. I have spent so much money that I will have to work, at least part time, forever. I made great money as a traveling nurse, but spent it as it came in. Looking back, I think I was trying to prove to my parents that I was successful. I had a beautiful condo, high end stuff. Then when my parents died, the first thing I did was to sell it all. lol. For about….nothing. Being free from payments gave me a new outlook. I decided that I would never get into debt again. I had enough money to buy a house in Florida for cash after the crash. So that is why I don’t have to work full time.
I have traveled the world and did notice in Italy that in the non-tourist areas that everything stops at about 2pm. Everything closes down and the streets empty out. Then in the evenings, families are out socializing in the town squares together. They would be all dressed up and just seemed to enjoy being together. (yes, teenagers and all) They all seemed so happy.
In Egypt, families all gathered together in the evenings in town squares or parks. They were packed every night. They would put on talent shows with the children. They seemed to value their families more than work.
My advice would be to get yourselves debt free. The real way these big companies get us is by encouraging us to become indebted to them. Then they own us. Back in the old days, people didn’t buy things with credit. The costs of things were more balanced with their incomes. Maybe we should just buy what we need. The 4000 used car instead of the 40000 BMW.
David,
I read this yesterday and I want to say it’s the most thought provoking thing I’ve read all week. You really have accurately described the Matrix, a system designed to keep people doing what they’re doing. The thing with the Matrix is that only the people at the top benefit it.
You made a great point about the collapse of economies. If people all of a sudden become satisfied internally then the shi#$3 would hit the fan. If people suddenly stopped buying things we’d have some problems. I think one of the biggest places that corporations do this in relationships, dating and sex. Link up a bunch of shi#$3 that has nothing to do with it and keep people buying stuff in pursuit of the holy grail. I think that what you have at least is awareness of all of this which is what most people don’t. That’s why most people will fight to protect the matrix even though it doesn’t really benefit them.
Hi Srini,
You said it. Dissatisfaction is what keeps the economy going, which means big business has a pointed interest in keeping people from finding happiness in their lives.
What fabulous insight….I felt like you were talking directly to me. I’ve often wondered how to get off the ‘merry-go-round’.
Brilliant post David. Thank you.
‘We buy so much because it always seems like something is still missing.’ ~ this really stuck with me ~ and your post brings up MANY questions, most of which have already been brought up by the other very intelligent and contemplative commenters/readers of your blog.
How can we find the time to create satisfaction without spending money on unnecessary things?
Welcome back to the working world!
Thanks for your observations.
I think people are particularly lucky if they only get to work 40 hours a week!
That puts me with a 25 hour week in great luck! :DD
It’s always been the same with the economy – wage slaves serving the power hitters. Here is my Very very very brief history of civilization http://scottfree2b.wordpress.com/2007/07/30/my-very-brief-history-of-civilization/
In the book “The Farther Reaches of Human Nature,” Maslow says for anyone to be truly self actualized they must remove the work-play dichotomy. Work is play and play is work, with no distinction.
I have made this a goal, and used it as a barometer, throughout my life. The question is, Can I make a living doing something I would do for fun? I think happy people answer yes to this question.
But even doing something very enjoyable and getting paid for it is not enough. I love playing tennis. I could play for hours each day. Even if I would get paid for doing that, it’s not enough.
I believe that life is all about balance or attempting balance. That is, time spent experiencing the mind, body and spirit. So in a typical day we spend 8 hours sleeping leaving 16 hours to be divided up for mind, body and spirit. That comes out to 5.3 hours for each M, B,and S activity.
For me I end up with 2 hours body (tennis, bicycling), 8 hours mind (work) At best I spend 1 hour with the spirit (meditation, yoga, music, spiritual reading). The rest of my time is spent doing undefined activities that does not seem to fit nicely in any category. (Watching tennis on TV, cooking (though this could be spiritual if done right) and worrying or planning.
Despite continued effort I am far from the 5.3 hours for M, B and S. If could just make better use of my time. Lets say 8 hours for mind (because of work), 4 for body and 4 for spirit. That’s a bit better balance. But to achieve the best balance some of the body and spirit needs to crossover in the the work/play time.
I think when we spend time doing the undefined things it’s like looking for our contact lens in the kitchen because the light is better, even though, we know we lost it in the living room. The activities we choose are the easy ones, even though we know, we need to do the ones that take a little more effort.
Well I’m not there yet, and in fact I have a ways to go, but it is a goal and I will keep trying. I hope to use this as a road map when seeking new activities and eliminating old ones.
I ought to read some Maslow.
This is all well and good,but to paraphrase Michael Bolton from Office Space, nobody considers cleaning shitty bathroom stalls “fun” and yet someone has to do it. Don’t forget to check privilege, folks crowing about how they love their six figure jobs that they earned with no luck, privilege, or help at all. Society behaves strangely in aggregate and it’s high time we start doing something about institutionalized hopelessness. See Thatcher and suicide in England.
I find your well substantiated opinions and viewpoints fantastic. Thanks.
Hey, I am impressed with you enough just to see you recognize this happening so quickly. It’s always tough to return to a way of life you’ve forgotten, but it always happens on a pretty subconscious level.
I find that when it happens to most, the good parts of their day will slip away and be replaced with dissatisfaction, and it will all happen completely under the radar.
I’ve always liked to think I’m a bit less of a consumer than your average North American. That said, on my way home from East Africa I stopped for 10 day in England to see the sites and visit some friends and I was absolutely horrified at how quickly and powerfully the consumer impulse overtook me. It cut in pretty much the second I’d caught up on my sleep.
I don’t think it’s possible to escape it completey, but I do my very best to keep the consumer in me in check. I’ve become an even bigger fan of putting a week or two between an initial desire to buy something and actually pulling out my wallet. It tends to keep me from buying things I don’t really, really want.
this is so true! thank you.
I was recently on a trip to mexico, sans laptop and iPhone… staying in a little shack without electricity and just the luxury of waking up to the sunrise, doing yoga, reading and napping and meditating on the beach… better than any kind of luxury vacation I could imagine!
I’m a fan of Maslow and also of Joseph Campbell, who believed in following our bliss, so I trust that it’s possible to create a life where my work is my bliss. I’m trying to do that now as an artist and therapist … sometimes it’s hard to imagine how to balance my most blissful life with making enough money, but I do trust that it’s possible. I see people in other cultures, with less consumer pressure, being happy, so I know I don’t need as much money as society tells me I do.
I too am a fan of both Maslow and Joseph Campbell. I read about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs years ago, in college, and would monitor my own place by what Maslow called meta-grumbles. That is, you can tell where a person is on the hierarchy by what he or she complains about.
I came to Joseph Campbell a bit later in life and applaud his view that if you have real passion for something, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs does not apply. That is true bliss. To sacrifice all the structural support to chase your dream, your passion, and your heart. That is the hero journey.
This comment really intrigues me. I’ll read some Joseph Campbell.
George Lucas though it was a good idea too to read Joseph Campbell.
A little late to the party but I re-read this article today. It made me think how the student loan fiasco plays into all this. Add onto your predetermined thesis that most people are psychologically compelled to attend university’s and come out with loads of debt. They are starting out this predetermined consumption, instant gratification type of life most of the time $50,000+ in debt and working jobs they are overqualified for and underwhelmed by. Yikes.
It is unbelievable to me that it is normal to exit college with mid-five-figures of student debt. But what better way to push graduates immediately into the constant working/consuming cycle, without much of a chance to do anything else. It’s a well-oiled machine with a lot of parts.
I graduated from a public R1 in 2001 with a humanities BA and $24,000 in student loan debt, despite a few scholarships and working 20+ hours per week throughout. I am average among my peer group. We cannot afford to buy houses, have children, or achieve any other LifeScript markers. Fine by me – I’m fortunate, in a way, because I don’t want any of those things. But the debt is real, and keeps me chained to a desk job I would’ve otherwise left years ago. Well, that and the need for access to affordable health insurance.
I identify with this very much. While I was young, I have everyone in my life telling me I would amount to nothing unless I went to college. I had very absent parents, and no one combatted the idea that debt was a good thing, as long as I was going to school. I made a very bad decision and not only took out loans, but took them out to go to a borderline fake university which was later found guilty of misrepresentation. What do I get for that? Nothing except a very expensive piece of paper, and a life where I have to work full-time and sacrifice doing certain things that I enjoy just to keep from going into default and having my wages garnished.
David, I really loved this post. Thanks so much for writing this.
Thanks David for this article. I thought it was brilliant!
You realise you’re on the threshold of many anarchist ideals right?
Keeping on this path of thought is a slippery slope…
Anarchy? No I don’t agree at all.
We don’t need to live in a lawless state in order to evolve beyond disempowering cultural phenomena like the 40-hour-workweek.
The two really have nothing to do with each other. By likening this to anarchy you’re jumping about 17 steps too far.
What’s wrong with that?
Great post, I’ve posted on my facebook and twitter. I’ve been wondering why we collectively agree to such enslavement and your article hit the nail on the head so typed this into my search engine and found your post. Thanks for your excellent writing! It has been very much appreciated!
Much gratitude!! ;-)
Great post, I’ve posted on my facebook and twitter. I’ve been wondering why we collectively agree to such enslavement and your article hit the nail on the head, I typed this into my search engine and found your post, lucky me. Thanks for your excellent writing! It has been very much appreciated!
Much gratitude!! ;-)
Reminds me of the novel Momo by Michael Ende.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Momo_%28novel%29
He devoted a lot of his time to trying to persuade European governments to abandon the demand for continual economic ‘growth’. Momo is largely about how this growth parasitises human time.
David, I really can follow your thoughts. I’ve worked a long time 10-14 hours a day in the IT business. This spring I decided to quit and to make a 6-to-12-month-brake. Now 6 month are over. The last weeks I did a silent retreat without any TV, Internet, magazines, conversation, and so on. This was really a great time, just to have your time for yourself without distraction or having a lot on the todo list. And there was no need to consume to compensate. My own experiences observations and thoughts when I worked hard as well as when I worked nothing are congruent with yours. Thanks for the article to reinforce. :-) Cheers from Switzerland, Frank
That’s kind of depressing, but it’s totally in line with Timothy Ferriss’ book, The 4-Hour Workweek. I’ve not yet made it through the book, but I’ve read about 40% of it. For this principle, the author says: “1) Limit tasks to the important to shorten worktime (80/20 [rule]). 2) Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important (Parkinson’s Law).”
So TRUE!
As you said, out lifestyle and life has already been designed long time ago, and it is on us to find it as fast as we can so that we can live it more.
Um, here’s the thing. Buying healthy food is expensive. Healthcare, in the US, is expensive. Heating and cooling even a small apartment also expensive. Transit, gas, or bicycle maintenance costs can add up. Your idea sounds great, but then consider the folks (and despite high minimum wages in Canada, I know there are these folks there too) who have to work long hours just to survive with foodstamps or other government programs. How can someone living on minimum wage have a four day workweek?
Hmm. I’m not sure what you think I said but I wasn’t arguing that everyone should take a Tim Ferriss approach to life. But everyone can improve their lot if they recognize the forces that are at play in their lives, particularly the very-high-level marketing that has made unhealthiness so much easier and cheaper than healthiness.
“But everyone can improve their lot if they recognize the forces that are at play in their lives…”
If only it were remotely that easy. Many, many people are struggling just to survive, and recognizing the forces at play or not won’t change that fact.
Why does it have to be easy? If you want to resign yourself to victimhood you are probably wasting your time reading this site.
“Why does it have to be easy? If you want to resign yourself to victimhood you are probably wasting your time reading this site.”
Why does pointing out the obvious have to be labeled “victimhood?” I’m not resigning myself to anything. But I’m overprivileged (read some Tim Wise). I’m a white, heterosexual, able-bodied, male born into a middle class family in the suburbs of the wealthiest, most powerful nation/empire on Earth. What’s easy is assuming anyone can substantially improve their lot in life (whatever that might mean) simply by identifying forces at play in the design of their lifestyle. That’s the “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality, and it’s severely flawed.
oh, and also, when one is a secretary, for example, one’s bosses always find something for one to do.
It is worth considering this other than as a well-paid programmer, who might have the luxury of being unemployed for six months at a time. There are structural inequalities built into the design of this system which make your lifestyle possible, and which are worth considering . . . I’m lucky not to work three jobs, but folks who work three jobs to cover the rent and live in food deserts where all they can get that’s affordable is junk are more likely to be overweight, but they don’t have time or money. So one splits the difference. I strongly recommend you read “Nickel and Dimed” by Barbara Ehrenrich.
You know, this is the first time I’ve seen something like this any place other than an anarchist newspaper, web site or book. I also like the fact that you talk about this kind of thing in plain English. Hell, I like the fact that you, an apparently successful professional, talk about this kind of thing at all! You’d better clam up, or the next thing you know Homeland Security’ll be knocking on your door!
Seriously, you’ve written a great article, you’ve raised some crucial points. Keep up the great work.
One potential solution, as I myself have been doing for the last six months, is to go back to self-sustainable community living. In this time I’ve been unemployed and have realised it’s so cheap to grow tonnes of healthy, organic fruit and vegetables. As a community, we cover and provide for all our needs. With a sizeable group land is affordable, and you have all the time in the world to meditate, read, write, walk, and socialise with friends and family.
fantastic, I have been talking about this with friends for a year or so, It must be done!
I’m in Austin, Texas and willing to engage in talks of organizing such an effort.
I also wondered if you’d read Tim Ferris’ 4hr Work Week. He has some very convincing arguments to help corporate workers negotiate with their employers to achieve more hours of free time, working in the same job, for the same wages. Worth a consideration nonetheless.
I hope you find a good balance between the journey you just took with the insights you gained and your old/new corporate life. Thanks for the article.
If consumers aren’t savvy enough to buy what they need then they have no one to blame but themselves. Exercise, read, talk to friend/family…these things leads to true happiness. Stop blaming corporations for our society’s lack of self-discipline. If you make a purchase for any of the reasons cited in the article:
“We buy stuff to cheer ourselves up, to keep up with the Joneses, to fulfill our childhood vision of what our adulthood would be like, to broadcast our status to the world, and for a lot of other psychological reasons that have very little to do with how useful the product really is.”
you’re a dunce. THINGS do not lead to happiness. Put down the remote and grab a book (or a kid in my house).
This isn’t a “hate on the corporations” message, I’m just saying that we are all subject to some very calculated marketing. It’s not just about advertising, it’s about what’s been deliberately established as normal.
Most of out behavior is conditioned, and not just by high-level marketing but my other cultural and biological influences. If you have ever worked 40 hours a week, you’ve been influenced by this type of manipulation.
Just like people do not choose their parents, people do not control which beliefs and behaviors are prescribed to them by their culture. We’re not aware of all the levels of conditioning (only a small part of which is marketing) that influence our behaviors.
It’s easy to declare yourself a shining exception to conditioning, and that everyone else is simply being an idiot. This is the typical cync’s view of humanity: that people only behave destructively because they are stupid or immoral individuals, and not because human beings are highly subject to conditioning like any other animal (and by implication, that *I* am not stupid, I am incapable of destructive or self-defeating behavior, I’m fully aware of why I do everything I do, and that society’s problems come down to mass individual failings, and have nothing to do with across-the-board biological or psychological inclinations.) I’ve heard that one before and I think it’s pretty near-sighted.
Sorry to drop another comment on an ancient post but for posterity’s sake…most people have a semblance of a conscience,and use that moronic cynic logic you mentioned to soothe themselves and maintain cognitive dissonance. It is really sociopathic which is weird considering how entrenched it is within American “Christian” conservatives.
…”how entrenched it is within American “Christian” conservatives”…
way to haul out the PC stereotype, Andy.
lets face it- its fun safe entertainment to bash on alleged ‘American “Christian” conservatives’.
but i have to ask if you really have not noticed this “cynic’s view” mentality equally entrenched elsewhere??
pardon… but your bias is showing
I guess my message was a bit confusing and taken in the wrong way. Let me clarify…if you don’t live within your means AND you buy goods to soothe your overworked souk then it’s your fault. Personal responsibility and liberty can be good or bad.
Well we agree there. But the truth is most people don’t live within their means, and the more common that is, the better it is for people whose goal is to sell the public as much as possible. So naturally they want to make it as normal as possible to have credit card debt, to have oversized homes, to watch a lot of TV, and to eat too many calories, because then these behaviors don’t set off red flags in people when they engage in them.
And because excessive consumption is normal, you don’t have to be a particularly stupid or irresponsible person to end up engaging in these behaviors. Most people do these things because their parents did. We can say it’s their fault, but that’s an oversimplification. A person’s behavior is the result of much more than in-the-moment deliberation. We are born into cultural trends (and household patterns) that tell us what we should do. We each have to build a model of how to behave from scratch, from how the people around us behave, and I think we underestimate how much of it becomes completely unconscious behavior that we can’t just snap out of.
I can’t believe how true this is. How its how around us, and the fact that we are drown in it and we don’t even realise it. Because its society and its our reality. But what’s truly sad is that these people know that we aren’t truly happy to live like that, and even if we have money we don’t feel free at all because we don’t have time to be free.
But the industries don’t care about us, they just care about our money…i wonder how the world can be this way.
I theorized years ago that people who claim to have “no money” are just spending what money they do have on stupid things. I have a young sister who always says she has no cash, but buys $2 coffees and take-out sandwiches daily. Currently, I work in a bank. I cannot tell you how many people “can’t save” because they’re too busy buying big screen TVs. I often “catch” people collecting unemployment/any type of state assistance doing multiple weekly ATM transactions at our local slot casino or the mall (it may be unethical for me to peruse their recent transactions and then judge them, but this is purely observational and far too interesting to ignore). Even my mother, who modestly makes around $29K a year makes weekly trips to Target to buy things like CDs, colorful new kitchen towels or her 5th pair of rubber dish gloves (the other 4 still sitting unopened under the sink). This concept has always baffled me. Thank you for putting it in essay form.
Thank you, this was a very precise article :) i can share same feelings about the subject… actually i was driven here by a friend in anothe rforum…i posted there a video on emotional self management and asking for 3 hours working shifts :)
http://vimeo.com/23340098
wish you enjoy it too
We want 3 hours working shifts!
3 hours/day = 100% paid jobs
Our life is not the time you see passing in your watch nor the money you receive for working.
Modern world spend its life sitting on a chair.
Human Based, heart based technology for holistic sustainable living, multidimensional awareness, consciousness shift, oneness, union.
3 HOURS EM Project
vimeo.com/23382269
Human Heart Based Technology for Multidimensional Holistic Sustainable Living & Consciousness Shift.
vimeo.com/23382365
elements-management.ning.com
holistic-sustainability.ning.com
comment number 100!!!!!!
Anyway, this couldn’t have come at a better time! I was just thinking about why our happiness and worth is SO Dependant on weather or not we go to college. I think that’s absurd.
And it’s ALL part of the scheme, isn’t it? Make them think their very lives depend on college to keep them more stressed out and needy. And at the same time gain, GAIN in the lustful greediness that is the economy!
Maybe the problem isn’t that we’re in an economic slump, it’s that people have forgotten or never learned that they can be happy with only a part time job. Think of everyone went with less. Not just less money, but less hours. Then there would be BILLIONS of job openings because everyone would only be part time… oh my gawd I just figured out how to not only fix the economy, but the sick twisted ways it tortures people!!!
Yeah probably not, but it does seem like there is some logic to my idea, lolz. Thanks for writing this, it’s just what I needed.
“The ultimate tool for corporations to sustain a culture of this sort is to develop the 40-hour workweek as the normal lifestyle.”
Corporations did not develop the 40-hour work week, unions did. The original purpose was to provide workers with more leisure time to spend with their families not for spending money.
I believe It’s been that arrival of the two income family that been a big factor in what and we spend our money on and how much we can actually spend. Corporations have simply capitalized on that extra income and the fact that most people seek the easiest way to amuse or entertain themselves. I mean why go out and hike after a hard day’s work when you can sit back, relax with a beer, and play video games?
I don’t believe corporations have created the condition, I think that like any good business they’ve reacted to it.
Really enjoyed reading your article – just a small point – the 8 hour day was an Australian innovation – we had it long before the English.
Well since we’re correcting each other, it was actually New Zealand in 1840. Not really the point of the article though.
Hey, david. Thanks for the article. It really echoed things I already felt. Did you ever find a way to get some more free time in, in spite of the 40 hour a week workday? I’m abiomedical engineering student myself, and I dread the thought ofife revolving around my work. I’m only a freshman though. Any suggestions as to what I should be doing or preparing for now? If it means anything, I have a very entrepreneurial drive.
Yes, I did. I’m about to take a leave of absence from work to do some travel and creative work.
I have no advice except to find which professions have a down-season that makes it easier to take time off.
Of life revolving *
Good post, tocayo (spanish for a person who shares one’s first name). It totally makes sense how having less time, being perhaps tired and even a bit cranky from a long day’s work, we would like to avoid activities the rewards of which can only be seen at long term, so we go for the insta-satisfaction of watching a movie, dinning out, watching tv (oh, that most dreadful of all machines), getting wasted on a variety of possible substances, etc. The mere fact that we constantly look for instant ways to find satisfaction by spending money shows us that there is something missing in our lives, that the work that we do does not go beyond satisfying our economical needs, that it doesn’t go deep enough to satisfy our need to feel like we’re doing something great with our lives.
Saludos desde México.
Guilty as charged. While New Zealand really DOES have some of the best coffee in the world, I don’t know if I *need* as much of it as I think I do. And reading your article brings to mind so many other things I spend on, “cos I can” while living my working life.
In the last year or two, I’ve been slowly making the choice to “opt out” of some societal norms/pressures. I am really glad I found your site today, your articles are insightful and inspiring and I am going to sit down and work through my life list (love https://www.raptitude.com/2009/09/how-to-make-a-life-list-youll-actually-do-a-comprehensive-guide/).
Thanks David!
Three years ago, I sold my car, gave my furnishings and art away to friends, and pared down my extensive wardrobe to the essentials.
I then moved to France.
Once there, I was able to see how much of a consumer I was AND how much the world is following suite. In France, I could see consumerism taking hold on the mindset of people who have long been known as rejecting ‘unnecessary’ material goods or services. They worked to live life and fought very hard to keep their work hours no more than 30 hours a week.
I liked living there and taking time to enjoy the simple pleasures that escaped me when I worked in the U.S. I remember running to the mall three times a week just to buy something to make me feel good and not because I needed it.
Once you back away and choose your choices by need and not want, one may find a greater contentment that comes from ‘possessing less’.
I have.
“One does not accumulate, but eliminate. It is not daily increase, but daily decrease.” The height of cultivation always runs to simplicity.” – Bruce Lee –
David, it is extremely refreshing to have finally come across someone who talks about happiness in a different way. You speak practically. Why we think the way we do. And a simple implication for improvement.
Personally, I just want to be happy. How do I get to be happy? For me, there is a bucket lists of needs. There is an ultimate lifestyle. Everyone has their picture of their own ultimate lifestyle. The demands of society make it incredibly difficult for us to make the best decisions and your article uncovers this point perfectly.
Excellent job David!
Interesting reading.
I think many of the things that you write comes from the fact, that economy shifted from production-based to consumption-based.
I don’t like it and I don’t feel like a “proper” consumer. I don’t need new phone or laptop every year. I don’t need new clothes every two weeks.
If you find some precious time, try reading something from Bauman, I think you might like it.
No shit.
i very much like this analysis. it reminded me of the century of the self, a bbc documentary that also shows the political implications of such a lifestyle. you might like it. :) and also, i wonder how you look at this article two years later (if you’re wondering where the views come from: your article was posted on news.ycombinator.com).
Very good article. I read a while ago that consumption was what people used to ease the pain of slavery. I work 9-5 now out of necessity. For 10 years I didn’t work 9-5, had money and lots of free time. The complete lack of time to wander freely, do artwork, travel is brutalizing. I work on a computer all day. I find it difficult.
Anyway intentioning a new reality at this point.
Very good article. I read a while ago that consumption was what people used to ease the pain of slavery. I work 9-5 now out of necessity. For 10 years I didn’t work 9-5, had money and lots of free time. The complete lack of time to wander freely, do artwork, travel etc. is brutalizing. I work on a computer all day. I find it difficult.
Anyway intentioning a new reality at this point.
What a great read. I had a similar experience a decade ago when I returned “home” from a long trip. It was so difficult to adjust and just plain uncomfortable to start living the mundane North American lifestyle again, i’m still fighting it.
Great post, reminds me of an old quote. “Wealth is not the possession of abundance, rather its the freedom from need.”
What the author alludes to but doesn’t get around to saying reminded me of a quote I once heard “Life is what happens while you are planning for your future” I can’t remember were this is from but it has always resonated with me. Having a balance of productive work (preferably the kind that pays) and the time to enjoy life would be the optimal situation.
This brings to mind all the commuter people wandering around the City – banking zone – in London at 8 in the morning, clutching at their Starbucks/Costa/Nero takeaway coffees, the only warmth left in their lives… apparently it’s no coincidence that the little drinking hole on top resembles a teat, in function. An example of big business tapping into our most primal instincts?
SOOOO bang on dude. Getting out of this lifestyle is a tricky affair, especially that it feels like swimming against the current and social norm…
“many have been ruined by buying good pennyworths” Benjamin Franklin – The way to wealth, ironically América has done exactly the opposite of the old wise American adviser.
This dissatisfaction is directly linked to the junk food and cooked food, search about “RAW FOOD” “LIVE FOOD” “rawdism” etc. and he happy^^
Some fair points raised, but I think you have the causal link round the wrong way: rather than consumerism driving the economy, consumerism is really the outworkings of freedom – freedom to start and promote one’s business, to choose what to spend one’s money on, and the freedom that facilitates a working economy. Sure, it has its negative points as you describe, but you don’t really seem to be thinking about what the alternatives to this freedom are – think of empoverished Africa, of religious states like Iran, of societies like China where if you speak out against the government you go “missing”. In other words, what you’re talking about are first-world problems.
Another thing that came to my mind is that you’re ignoring what people can get out of working at a fulfilling job other than money: satisfaction of getting a job done, pleasure from contributing to something worthwhile, pleasure from having and using a specialist skill, interaction with other people, opportunity for development and career progression. Something that is far worse than widespread consumerism is widespread unemployment, because it brings real rather than imagined hardship.
A healthy dose of perspective: let’s value what we have, which by world standards is a lot.
Great post! Hit the nail on the head on everything. Its a feature not just in America/Canada but also any place where people have a reasonably comfortable earning. I’m in India and I could relate to nearly everything mentioned.
Good stuff! What you’ve acquired through experience, I’ve had to acquire through reading (because extended vacations aren’t an option for me right now). You might want to check out Bertrand Russell’s essay ‘In praise of Idleness’, the paradigms involved are uncannily similar.
Nicely written with excellent choice of vocabulary and sharp language. I full heartedly agree with some of the assertions while I don’t with the others. To highlight the points I agree upon, I have no other alternative to paraphrase his assertions a little bit, but still to put things in perspective can’t help but doing it. It’s true that most of the developed economies have been built on a mindless consumer mentality. Can’t find a more appropriate example than the queue in front of some Apple stores in NYC, the night before i-phone 5 release. In fact, many of those depriving themselves of their sleep owned i-phone 4 (released hardly a year ago) and weren’t even sure of the new features offered by the latest. I don’t know whether I am abnormal or not, but I can’t trade a good night’s sleep (let alone a few hundred dollars) to be among the first few ones, even if it’s offered to me for free. With some similar examples, the author tries to prove that people have a tendency to BUY happiness, peace of mind. Obviously, for those hungry consumers, real utility of the gadget is not the determining factor, because they seek peace and happiness in things they possess.
So far I have stated some facts, not yet passed an opinion on whether they are good or bad. Now, for that part, I will beg to differ from Mr. David. Without going into details of necessity, the entire economy stands upon this consumer behavior, not only in US, but throughout the world. The world economy has been so designed for such a long time that it’s extremely difficult (if not impossible) to imagine a global economy without consumer mentality. There is a tone of allegation when the author alludes to the billions of dollars corporations earn by profit. But it must be observed there are people behind corporations. Evey dollar earned by a corporation goes to the pocket of one of the chairmen, employees, mutual fund investors or stock holders. They have a livelihood because of this consumer mentality.
Secondly, if someone chooses to be a fool, none the worse to be wiser myself. Even if thousands others are fool, that needn’t worry the wiser ones so far as they don’t have a stake on the welfare of those fools. So, when you are simply blinded by the gimmick of latest Apple advertisement, so far as to forget whether you really need the gadget or not, none but you are the worse. Those guys working for Apple (be it as part of its marketing team or product development) are just doing their job, they have to survive in this world. I prefer to treat every adult human being as truly adult. Granting that, unless someone is forcing you at gunpoint, whether you upgrade to the latest version or not is entirely your choice. You say you don’t need it to use it but need it since all or most of your friends got it and you don’t want to lag behind. Fine, pay a few hundred dollars to appear cool. Apple is not forcing you to be cool, you are doing it to yourself by your desire to keep cool friends. If that’s what your logic is, then you derive pleasure not by reading a novel, not by trying the basics of a new language, not by biking to the countryside on a weekend, but by appearing cool to your friends. Now don’t say you want this coolness for free. The bottom line, the only implication of being forced to indulge is being forced by physical handling. Being driven by peer pressure, your urge to elevate/maintain your status or coolness quotient is not actually being forced because you make those choices. A lot of people are living a not so cool life anyway, some by choice, some by compulsion. None prevents you to be among them.
I don’t want to boast and apologize if I sound doing so, but a little bit of my personal life will help seeing my argument. As a graduate school student, whatever I earn as fellowship is pretty much in the low income category of a rich nation like Singapore. Still I try to contribute a little bit to my sister’s education. True that my research itself keeps me too occupied to leave much scope for personal developments as I would like, but I don’t have the moral right to complain because I decided to pursue education on my own choice. Never did I fancy owning an i-pad or galaxy note and I am more than happy with my simple nokia phone which can wake me up and help me keep track of my appointments with a calendar feature. I don’t care about having the latest 400$ designer jeans and a 10$ t-shirt from the street side shop makes me feel more handsome than I am in reality. I am not too much into partying out with my friends. With a few close friends I have, sometimes I go biking or seeing around places or catch a movie. There is a girl whom I like but never do I feel like I have to prove myself to her by showing her what I own or afford in terms of gadgets and attire. Don’t know whether I am wrong here. May be my life doesn’t appear much cool to a lot of people, but I have to say I am perfectly happy with my life. Still, I am never going to advocate everybody has to lead life me because it’s our choices that make us individuals. So, if you don’t like your life, you have the choices. STOP blaming the system.
“You work 40-plus hours or you work zero”-why? Go to a less demanding job. There are plenty others. Definitely you can’t make enough to indulge in those luxuries you talk about, but you said you don’t need them, right? Go backpacking again if you want (traveling, by the way needs money and you gotta either work or rob for that). Stop blaming the system because whatever else it does or doesn’t do, at least it gives you the freedom to choose your way (constrained only by the laws of a civilized country).
P. S. Throughout my write-up, I have used some specific examples of companies, objects and hypothetical but typical situations. I don’t have anything against Apple and neither I am a big fan or their products. The only purpose was to convey my points and thoughts. So please don’t focus on the details and grasp the thoughts. Happy to debate within civil limit.
I have never read a more self obsessed comment. Do you actually speak like this? i would be amazed if anyone read what you wrote until the end, most of it was an attempt to impress with what you think are big words and late 18th century word structure.. Get to the point next time and people might read what you think..
I think the word structure is the result of not being a native speaker of English. I read what he had to say, and found it of value to the discussion.
ditto… appreciated your remarks & perspective, singapore barman. thank you :)
This is an awesome article which has rightly written the truth. A very good overview of the system. It’s really hard to get above the system and observe it, if you are a part of the system itself. Good one! I am starter and just started doing Job, and in just 4 weeks, I was realizing these “weekends” stuff and started to feeling the same you’ve described. Thanks for awaking me through this article. :)
Nice article, asks the questions we ask/ wonder ourselves daily but as in life here too the author did not offer any solutions but just emphasised the problems in a pretty articulate manner. Who won’t like to have a 3-4 day work week, who can’t? But no1 opts for it for the simple reason that it would just “offend” too many people, disrupt too many routines (of employees, customers, bosses, peers) . The peers would take u as insincere or lazy even!!
First thing u hear is ” badaa vella hai”(“has too much time!” ?! Haha
the main problem is, “we” are “they” who are trying to sell our product to each other what we are creating in 8 hours shifts. employment is not about selling your skills, its about selling your time.
I agree with a lot of this article, except for the attribution of deliberate intent on behalf of “big corporations” and the like. They don’t deliberately set 8 hour workdays to keep you oppressed. They do it in an attempt to keep their bottom line up, to keep their business going faster than the competition. In terms of marketing, they just do research on what works (without scruples) and push it as much as they can. Humans are just susceptible to certain forms of manipulation. They just offer the bait, and we swallow it. Business isn’t mustache twirlingly evil, it’s just amoral and self interested.
Of course the end result is just as bad though, and as you said people need to wake up and stop spending money on junk they don’t need that just makes them miserable.
As for myself I work 3 days a week and still manage to save a decent amount. I just asked to go part time and they said yes. Just ask, worst thing that can happen is that they say no.
Psst, being self interested and amoral is where most evil lies. The rest is largely tied up in socio/psychopaths who not surprisingly are over represented demographically in high paying leadership roles.
After the great depression Kellogs swapped to a 6 hour day, after a few months productivity had recovered to the level they used to have at 8 hours so the original wage was restored.
It was only around the start of the 80s that the last department converted back to 8 hours.
It’s interesting that the people who worked the 6 hour day said things like – their wives would get them to do more stuff around the house if they were home + they didn’t know what to do with their time(!?).
Management, also made working less be associated with being efeminate – women, were a lot more in favour of the 6 hour day, (they do more work in the house + with children).
“The ultimate tool for corporations to sustain a culture of this sort is to develop the 40-hour workweek as the normal lifestyle. Under these working conditions people have to build a life in the evenings and on weekends. This arrangement makes us naturally more inclined to spend heavily on entertainment and conveniences because our free time is so scarce.”
I’ve switched to awaking at 4am, and would like to get up even earlier but going to bed at 9pm seems to be a “sweet spot”. I have more energy to do wholesome things like walking, exercising, reading, meditating, and extra writing. The “downside” is that it’s harder to eat in restaurants and see first-run movies, but lets face it, eating out all the time is expensive and the movies will be available for home viewing in just a few months.
Reading this makes me want to watch Fight Club again.
While it’s easy to present the modern (now roughly 100 years old) consumer-industrial complex as malevolent, it has made some goods much more accessible to the common man. Such as these dark chocolates I’m eating right now.
A little over a year ago I quit a cushy, well-payed job at one of the country’s biggest companies. The excuse I used was “to get my Master’s degree”.
After having spent a year working on personal projects and my “person” in general I’ve returned to a 9-5 (it’s never 9-5!) job at another big company.
Just two months in and I already feel less productive. The reasons are various, the common stuff at big software companies.
Besides being less productive, I’ve come to the conclusion that at this 9-5 job I work less than I did when I was on my own. But I do feel more stressed and less happy about the work, even if I now have a steady income (whatever that means….)
I’m currently considering dropping this position and going back to freelancing, even at the risk of adding another short-lived job to my CV.
Thanks for the post.
Nice to see there’s more people out there like myself.
It reminds me a song called Society, from Eddie Vedder.
“When you want more than you have
You think you need…
And when you think more than you want
Your thoughts begin to bleed
I think I need to find a bigger place
Because when you have more than you think
You need more space”
One reason many of us are trapped in this system is much more subtle. In one word: CREDIT. First off, all those who have a mortgage to pay back know what this word means: OBLIGATION. Event if you don’t have a mortgage most people have rent to pay. If you fully paid (assured) accommodation it would not mean that know how to save, but at least you would not need 9-5 working hours. More of us could work and be payed based on results, and decide how many hours we want to put in in a given month without worrying whether we will have a roof over our heads. But if you live in a system where 60% of your mortgage payments are interest payments this means that with a 35% taxation rate on your salary + mortgage payments + other taxes such as VAT in the UK, you are effectively working more for big banks and the government, than for yourself or your family. Scary?
Isn’t it great to get a bit of contrast – helps us reflect and see what’s going on. Working full time is great if it’s a cause you believe in and are passionate about. But if you’re spending a third of your lifespan treading water and working on things that aren’t inspiring then it’s good to take time to reflect on what’s happening! There’s a time and place for everything but one of life’s simple truths is you will become proficient at what you practice, and in an employment sense you will be qualified and employable on the basis of what you have experience in. So if you don’t like what you’re doing, or feel you’re throwing years of life into the trash can just to make ends meet, then start doing what you love and believe in TODAY – even if it’s just an hour or two here and there! Most important is to have a vision – something your building towards. I’ve taken a 5 year approach and am now living a freelance lifestyle and doing part time and casual work with organisations that I support and believe in. I’m also working with colleagues to build a few of our own organisations built around shared values and lifestyle aspirations. Jump off the treadmill and take hold of the reins! If it seems to challenging or daunting find a mentor…OR else keep working 9-5 and enjoy it – it can be quite a social and fun thing to do afterall! … savour your spending power in the limited time you have – enjoy it – spend…spend it all! Just please spend it in an ethical and conscious way – afterall your spending choices will either destroy or nurture the world for future generations, the animals and plants..
I do agree with much of what is said in this article. But people do have a choice – We can decide whether we want to continue to rot, or we want to take firm control our lifestyles. Well, this is not the age of industrial revolution. It is the age of Internet revolution. Hence, people have only themselves to blame if they have become a perfect prey.
Destination Infinity
What a fantastic article. It fits a lot of what I am going through in my life right now and it’s nice to know I’m not alone. Thanks so much! :-)
Man, you just write what I was feeling but wasn’t able to really understand.
I’m on vacations right now and tomorrow I’ll get back to work. Also, after one year on my actual job, it’s expected a meeting with my boss to negotiate a raise in my payment.
Everything should be all right, but I was uncomfortable and it wasn’t clear what it is. But after reading your article it became clear to me that I don’t want more money, what I really want it’s more free time to enjoy my life.
Tomorrow I’ll will try to negotiate more time, instead of more money. But probably it will not work because my industry works just like yours. At least, now its more clear to me what I really want and I can start to think on ways to realize it.
Thanks
This is awesome. I hope it goes well for you.
Tim Ferriss, whatever you think of him, talked extensively in “The Four Hour Workweek” about how to negotiate with your boss to work fewer hours, while you keep them happy by becoming more productive than you ever have. The idea is to free up time to build income on the side, until you can tell them you won’t be coming in at all any more.
it’s so true. im thankful i dont have a desk-bound 9-5 job. alot more uncertainties but it’s exciting, and makes live alot more fufilling!
I came across a cool video a few months back of someone who captures the essence of this article:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hw4E8nXcrTk
He is one who has succeeded in leaving the rat race. Good to know that it can be achieved.
Loved that video, thank you.
Thanks for a thoughtful article, which has also generated an interesting comments stream. I’m not sure if you’ve come across How much is enough, by Robert and Edward Skidelsky, which discusses our current predicament, and the shift in culture that would be required to change it. As the Skidelsky’s say, change would require widespread acceptance of a notion ‘the good life’ that privileges wise use of leisure over the pursuit of economic growth. An extension, essentially, of the social democratic values that prevailed in much of western Europe prior to the emergence of neoliberalism in the 1980s.
I have always felt that we have been living like machines. I yearn to have a quality life, a life that allows me to develop intellectually, at the same time, able to find time to cook and eat home cooked healthy food, take walks for exercise, reading the Quran and do prayers(I’m a Muslim), read for self development, spend quality time with family, basically do things that give us that inner peace that we are all looking for. Instead I’m much too exhausted by the time I come home from work. I feel like a servant of work instead of servant of Allah because my whole life revolves around what concerns work instead of what concerns worshipping Allah which should be the main objective of life. As a school teacher whose school begins from 8am to 3.30pm, I hope we teachers will be successful in getting the school to shorten the hours as we are working on it.This article will certainly be of tremendous help. Thank you :)
z… i wholeheartedly agree with you, and truly hope your teacher’s guild will be successful in getting your hours shortened without having to sacrifice essential income. its always such a juggling act, being able to work enough to support one’s family, without getting forced into working so much one has no time or energy left for one’s family.
Creator’s Blessings to you! :)
You would have received a pat on your back from Marx! In a way all that you have said, is an exposition, or rather sublimation of capitalist mode of usurping workers’ surplus labour, and thus getting him alienated form his “true” self.
Loved your insights!
PS:- If for some reason you don’t like Marx, I apologize for the comment. :)
Very much like you, I just got ‘upgraded’ to the working class from the free-roaming status one year after graduation.
The most stark difference I have felt is that when I had free time before the ‘upgrade’, I always found it wasteful not doing anything with it. I made myself run, cycle, going to the gym, brushing up French, anything I could lay my interest upon. A few months after being a 9-5 worker, sometimes 6-8, I just want to lay dead on anything soft and watch whatever that is visually stimulating but needs zero brain processing when I have a free moment.
It is so easy to drift away from the fundamentals of life and live like a civilized zombie in the city. I don’t expect the system to change but I am hopeful that with a little more effort, the 9-5ers CAN strive for a quality life. After all, it really only takes a few seconds to rationally process whether another coffee is necessary or not.
It’s really easy for everyone to say go, quit your job and do something more meaningful and pleasant with your life. Earn your money by doing something you like. Travel and see the world and its beauties. Think of when you have a 600$ salary per month (which is the average in our country actually) of which you pay 300$ for utilities and bills. And then you have 300$ from which you need to feed yourself, or maybe even someone else too. As a reference, consider that your average apartment, in an average area of the city, with 1 bedroom and a living room, is around 35.000$. Unless you inherit your house or live with your parents, you will never afford to buy one and live on your own (rent is also about 200-250$).
So yes, I’d love to quit my job, but there are things like responsibility and being able to put food in our stomachs before my personal goals and wants.
Maybe the Americans (insert other rich countries here) out there will start thinking more – when they go out and leave 100$ (or who knows how much more) on a meal at a restaurant – about how other people in less developed countries can’t even afford a 2$ coffee.
what you say is sadly true, Guy… even we WorkingPoor in america still need to recognize the fact that whatever small perks we have likely came at the expense of some Laborer in another country working even longer & harder for less compensation. But even so, here in the States there are many many americans who can completely identify with the circumstance you describe. we on the bottom rungs here can no more climb the ladder to financial freedom than you- it is all we can do to scrape together the necessities and keep the plates spinning, just like you described in your post.
i certainly dont grudge the ‘artist/poet/intellect’ or what-have-you, who actually IS able to beat the system… hooray for that person! nevertheless, in a culture as materially “rich” as the one in which i live, there are still very many people for whom the so-called ‘american dream’ has never been more than a nightmare- nor ever will. :(
Thanks mate. It’s just the right kind of jolt I needed to wake up. I’ve not painted, read a book recently.
Great post dude !! It’s like somebody else was able to write down several things I’ve been thinking of for the last weeks, yet it’s so hard and polemic to talk about …
Just translated into Spanish, so as to share it with my friends and show them your insightful perspective !!
Thank you !
I have stayed fastidiously away from increasing my life expenses by staying away from these consumerist trap. However, unable to beat one thing. Real estate. A decent home in a decent locality costs so much that the home loan forces to continue to join the workplace battleground. I haven’t found a way out of this. If I move to cities with cheaper real estate price, employment opportunities go down at a greater rate.
Oh, I reaaly liked this text… and it`s similar of Great New World when the guy says that people can work less (they have technology for this), that they already tried it but wasn`t good for the society. Sorry for the bad english!!
I encountered this piece through my friend’s sharing on face book and I shared it on my timeline with a little comment of mine attatched. And thought it’s only fare that the actual writer gets to know that I liked it. Thanks you for the writing! :)
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“Walking, exercising, reading, meditating, and extra writing. The one conspicuous similarity between these activities is that they cost little or no money, but they take time.”
Life is all about allocating one’s scarce resource. I recently chose to work only twice a week, which is kind of rare for a Korean, and the salary will barely cover my monthly expenses. Instead, I get plenty of time for myself. I’ve been generally happy with my choice, but just started wonder what would’ve been like if I went for an amply-paid full-time professional. And Mike Purvis shared this post. I read it, and soon regained my peace of mind recalling why I opted for the current arrangement. I am happy to read this piece at the right time for me. Thanks Mike! ;)
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I very much agree with most you say, but there’s a tiny common leftist weird conspiracy theory there. There isn’t a secret organization of big businesses, there’s just an awful lot of companies manufacturing, designing and selling stuff to people and each other.
What I completely agree about is that an average western country Joe really doesn’t need 40 hours of weekly work to earn the living. For some mysterious reason the “minimum” to live with is nowadays something sick. We really think we need iPads, new SUV:s, bigger houses and a 50” TV. We really don’t. When I was studying I earned about 1/3 of what I earn now as an engineer but I still was able to pay my rent, own an old car, travel every now and then and go to a pub to meet my friends every now and then. There really wasn’t much missing (even if I _really_ enjoy my more expensive hobbies and a larger house nowadays), but what I’m missing now is the freedom. I could happily do 25% less work with a salary 25% smaller, but as you said, that’s not possible because the world doesn’t work that way.
Hi Shawn. I agree with you. This article is almost three years old now and I have misgivings about it. It does sound a bit conspiracy-theorist. I didn’t mention a secret “Big Business” organization, but it sounds like I am claiming they all conspired to create a standard working culture so that they may sell conveniences. It probably evolved for other reasons. But I would argue that a significant reason reforms are unlikely is because it does work so well for consumerist-driven businesses.
I havn’t had a 40hour work week for 4 years, been travelling doing my own thing, the idea of going back to an actual job sounds too challenging when I think that people working the regular job would also find what I do challenging. Your article made realize that I’m not missing anything, thanks.
For the past 5 years I have learned to live with less. Being a small business owner in a place where the Economy (that is beneficial for big corporate interests) is not doing so well but the place is rich in resources and experiences I have learned to have a great time and live with less.
Before I use to have steady set of income coming in while working for a Big 4 Consulting and accounting firm. Now I have to make rational decisions every time I’ll spend money.
This blog post helped me explain why I have been so happy and why other who are receiving more income are never happy with what they have.
We lived a very simple lifestyle for years. Small living spaces, very little in the way of material goods and lots of time to explore the wilderness we lived it.
We moved to the city to be with my aging parents and I recently went back to school. I was accepted into a program that I have dreamed of all my life. After eight weeks of struggling to juggle my job and my school work, my husband and I decided I should quit my job.
Part of that decision making process is exactly what you pointed out in your article. We have been buying things just because we can. We are feeling overwhelmed with retail choices and the weekend hunt for material items and long for the days of simplicity.
So we are going back to those days. Having one income will refocus our gratitude for what we already have and remind us to appreciate it and care for it instead of assuming that everything is disposable and replaceable.
I am only one week into being unemployed and, while we may be “poorer”, we are far richer than we were two weeks ago.
It’s stunning to look at the progress in worker productivity over the past 60 years. In 2000, it took 1-worker only 11 hours to produce the same level of output of a worker in 1950 working 40 hours.
Instead of reducing the amount of hours worked, people buy more stuff. Compared to the 50’s, the average house is 2x the size, families have 2 (or more) cars compared to only 1, eating out 5 nights a week instead of once a month, etc… It’s even more pronounced when you factor in that few families had both adults working in the 50’s
If a person is willing to live a 1950’s lifestyle, in theory they can pay for it with 11 hours of work and save the other 29 hours of pay. At that savings rate, its possible to be financially independent in less than 9 years. Faster if you have savings, slower if you have debt. 2 people saving together accelerates it. A 1950’s lifestyle is living better than royalty did 200 years ago, so it isn’t even close to deprivation
This is roughly what we did, small apartment, no car, riding a bike and walking places, most meals prepared at home… The first step is deciding you want it and getting rid of the TV to minimize the marketing impact.
Of course 100 years ago, people worked a lot longer than 40 hrs a week, including children. I blame Mr. Selfridge lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLborDbtx3M check out the preview…
http://www.steadystate.org
I came back from a 6 month travelling expedition a few months ago and feel the same way. That feeling was actually the reason why I left in the first place. I was disillusioned, I felt like Neo. Trapped in this world of artifice.
Cycled across the US and then all over Cambodia, and felt like my eyes were open like they hadn’t been since childhood…which was at first odd because we think that aging and hormones and natural causes are the reason one loses that ‘fleeting glimpse’ of innocent perspective we have as children. Now I believe that it’s culture, or a lack of culture, that makes us in developed capitalist societies feel burnt out, unhealthy, jaded, and adult. It’s the responsibilities of living in this Capitalist society, one where the vast majority of the wealth and therefore leisure, funnels it’s way to the top. Our culture is a culture of commodification and status…and fear. Art, music, values, customs, relationships and all the things that make a culture here in the US are pop…Justin Bieber is the Robert Johnson of right now. Mark Zuckerberg is Thomas Edison. Donald Trump is Frank Lloyd Wright. Kim Kardashian is our queen. They are as substantial as cotton candy.
I’m guilty of it too. I was reading GQ the other day and started considering what watch (under 500$!) I wanted, as well as a pair of lime green khakis (so in this summer) as well as wanting to get with Kate Upton, move to a ‘cool’ city, get a ‘hip’ job, and maybe buy a nice CK blazer for those cool nights. I sank back into this train of thought after about one week after my return from Cambodia, a week that I felt…and there is no word that I know to better describe the feeling…enlightened. The Khmer people have a deep, rich, simple culture that has roots that go deep into the Earth and deep into their souls. They have nothing and most want only what they need to survive. But, they are also humans, like those of us in First World countries. If they see a nice pair of jeans or a nice car dangling in front of them they simply will want it. That’s the self-destruct mechanism of humans. We’re the smartest animal out there, but we are ‘civilized.’ Just like any other animal, we want one or two more bananas than we need. We have a desire to become the alpha of the pack, the one in the BMW. We want to procreate with the best looking hippos. But, we also repress greed and promiscuity and some other deep animalistic urges, which does nothing but confuse us and create multiple psyches within us. It leads to strange addictions, rage, unhealthy behavior, anti-social thoughts.
I dug this little article and agree with it. I think life here at the top of the heap, as well as those places that have been infected with Capitalism, is flipping ridiculous. I don’t know if there is a way out. I thought I did, but like I said, I’m reading GQ. I’m thinking of how to make lots of money. I want to be part of society. I want to be at the head of the pack. I also want to get married. I want enough money to retire one day. I want health care. I want health insurance. I want that American security. I want to go back into the Matrix.
But, it really bothers me.
PS-Alain de Botton is a good person to refer to about this type of subject matter, especially in the book ‘Status Anxiety.’
This is a tired, baseless tirade filled with vague generalizations, assertions without evidence, and silly conclusions.
Lets take the core thesis: (to paraphrase) “the 8 hour work day was planned by big business to make money”. The observant reader, looking for evidence of this vast conspiracy is informed that …. (to paraphrase), ’40 hour work week enriches people to the extent that they can purchase things that they don’t need.’
Uh huh. I fully understand working allows me to buy lots of stuff. In fact, that’s the main advantage. What’s the problem? The author laments, “but it’s empty consumerism”. Oh please. I’m fine with it. I use money I get from work to enrich my life in other ways.
The author complains “I’ve only been back at work for a few days, but already I’m noticing that the more wholesome activities are quickly dropping out of my life: walking, exercising, reading, meditating, and extra writing”.
So what are you doing with your free time? Why not do those things? Are you doing other “consumer” activities instead? And if so, what does that say about how much you really value those activities if you, when time is scarce, you choose to do other things.
Finally, the author spends money carelessly in flush times – seems to be the overall driver of the article. From this he infers that his hectic workschedule is some how programming him to waste money. yeah, it’s impossible to save money while working…. maybe just try a little harder, buddy. Stick the tired Marxist conspiracy theory back in your pocket.
I’m glad you wrote an article on this topic, but agree with Adam that your thesis is faulty. You seem to postulate that: 1) Working a job and making money makes people want to spend more carelessly, and 2) the wily corporations have designed it this way to “trap” us into this lifestyle. I would argue that (1) can be true but is avoidable and (2) is a laughable conspiracy theory. Our problem is not that corporations have co-opted our lives Matrix-style –– it’s that most of us have really bad time management skills.
I heard Daniel Kahneman recently talking about the money-happiness plateau (the observation that our happiness does not increase with income after about $70K). He said, “More money can buy you more pleasures, but I suspect you take less pleasure in the little things.”
I’ve been struggling with this a lot too, and so far this is what I’ve been trying: Slow down. Cut out some activities from your life (battle FOMO). Drink that coffee more slowly, sense every aroma of it hitting your nostrils, savour the sensation of it slipping down your throat. Yoga is one of the best ways to enjoy micro-moments of pleasure from every sensation that courses through your body (it educates your awareness of where in your body to focus on). Good luck, and don’t blame everything on the corporations.
Great blog post! I came across this when my friends shared it on Facebook.
One thing I’ve found fascinating and a little horrifying is the precision with which marketing employs propaganda techniques and the degree to which it works. As individuals, we want to think that we’re smart and able to properly evaluate our desires and reasoning behind purchases and political choices. The reality is that well crafted propaganda manipulates us all more than most of us realize. I’m not sure if you’re aware of the work of Edward Bernays. He’s considered to be the father of PR. His book, “Propaganda”, written in 1928, is available online and when reading it, the connections with our daily lives is chilling. Just replace the older communication technologies with “internet” or “television” and it could have been written today. I found a link to the book if you want to check it out: http://www.historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/bernprop.html A few years ago, the BBC did an excellent documentary series on this too called “The Century of the Self”. It’s up on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7EwXmxpExw I highly recommend it…the first 2 minutes of it alone are very similar to your post.
In addition to propaganda, there are other sophisticated manipulations at work. One technique I’m aware of, for example, is the manipulation of things like sugar levels in food because when your insulin levels peak, then crash, your body interprets this as being really hungry. You’ll suddenly have a craving for their sweet product again and buy more! It’s not just sugar that’s manipulated either. I tried to find a useful link for you…this one is decent (book review) but has an annoying video that starts playing immediately: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/food-companies-trick-consumers-eating-unhealthy-products-132949611.html
Anyways, if anyone thinks they’re not being manipulated nearly every moment of the day… I have a bridge to sell.
Toss your TV! You instantly save money on cable. You suddenly have time to do something productive for yourself rather than for a slavelord/boss. You are no longer bombarded with “You *know* you want to buy this crap” every 10 minutes. You might even get off your couch and live longer.
Funny how every time someone suggests breaking out of consumer culture, they are immediately accused of being communists. Conform or STFU. Whose interest does that serve?
I love the sentiment of this article! It is fast approaching a year since I left my 9-5 life and I’ll never look back. I’d love to see how this pans out for you in the future. It’s pretty apparent you’re going to have trouble spending all your time behind a desk!
I’ll keep checking back!
Ha! I just noticed this is an old article… I’ll have to look around and see if you’ve found a solution…
This article is right on! One of the most effective ways I have found to curb reckless spending is to put the debit card away, and use cash for 2 weeks. It is a whole different experience to pull out $34 is cash to pay for a dinner for two.
I stumbled across this through a FB friend. It is SO true! Since losing my job I only buy what is necessary. And when I do treat myself – to coffee, or to a new t shirt, it means SO much more. Thanks for articulating it so well – look forward to more posts! Linda
it’s very good article, awesome!!!!
Dear David,
Thank you for your blog. Never have I read a blog with which I resonated so much!! I just finished reading your other post in “living by default”. I fear falling into that, and am constantly finding new ways to keep my life creative. I am one of those people who moved to another city (from SD to NY) simply because I love NY. I quit my job, sold my car and all my belongings and came here, with nothing. It was one of the most liberating experiences ever. I traveled around Europe as well for three months before finally arriving to NY. So I experienced some of what you describe, living on hardly nothing for about one year, but yet having some of the most fulfilling experiences ever!
As you well point out in your other article, I have never regretted any minute or money spent (or not had) during that major change! Never would I trade that experience for anything!
The only thing that made it very difficult, and this has to do with the price of being an American college graduate was COLLEGE DEBT! HOLY CRAP!! Talk about having the perfect hook to keeping one enslaved by the 40 hours a week work schedule! My college education has opened a lot of doors for me, but it has come with a huge price tag that will have me paying it off probably for next twenty years. This is something that people outside the US normally don’t have. It’s quite the burden. But even then, I think it is possible to be very disciplined and find a way to break away from the work structure to find more independence. The other challenge, I think, is that once we have that time, we will probably also struggle to find what to do with it! We are so used to being enslaved to work that we seldom know what to do with our free time. But I welcome that challenge ANY DAY!!
Thanks again for such an inspiring post! I look forward to more! And I look forward to hearing about your progress on your path towards emancipation, and hopefully comparing notes, as I will be doing the same!
All the best,
Joules
P.S. I shared your post with my whole world! :)
Once you have payed off your “College” (university) debt, try buying a house and having a child/children and then see what your response to this article is.
By the way, The U.S.A. is NOT the only country in the world where people have tertiary level education debt!!!
David, brilliant post. Thanks. It was great to stumble into it (somebody posted it to Facebook) and realize it was you again.
I spent most of my life as a freelancer, working just a few weeks or months of the year and spending the rest of the time doing what I wanted or looking for work. It was high stress, with a family dependent on me, and for years I kept hoping somebody would offer me a job. Then I realized nobody could afford me because I wouldn’t work 40 hours a week for the kind of money they pay people. Right now I’m working 16 hours a week, not counting class prep which I can keep to a minimum. With all my interests and projects, I have no spare time. I don’t know how people who work 40 hours managed to have a life.
One thing I have noticed is the social aspect of going into a store and buying something. That’s a human exchange that can be almost addictive in and of itself. It’s empowering to have money, see something I decide I want, and pay for it. I think this is why I browse shops, especially book stores, just hoping to find something to buy. It doesn’t matter whether I need the thing or not, what I need is the exchange, the interaction. Lately the money stays in my pocket unless I have a genuine need, but I still browse stores.
It’s the same impulse that powers kleptomania by people who could easily afford what they steal, only money allows us to do it in a socially acceptable way.
I take real issue with the idea that corporations purposefully push a 40 hour work-week to increase consumption. While a 40 hour work-week may in fact increase consumption, the incentives for a corporation to increase the expected work-week simply aren’t there. Corporations individually make decisions on what increases THEIR bottom line and increasing employee hours is going to have a negligible impact on that corporations sales to its employees at the expense of greater facillity costs and expected full-time benefits packages. Unless you’re alleging some implausible backroom conspiracy where all major employers have agreed to push a 40 hour work-week, this is just silly.
thumbs up. Notice the lack of logical responses to a logical realistic conclusion.
This really isn’t all that new nor is it that *brilliant*; consumerism and capitalism have been- and still are- frequently discussed in academia, and to be honest, I wish this person had cited sources.
While I agree with you spiritually about freeing ourselves from unnecessary “desire” in perhaps the Buddhist sense, I wonder about the arts. The comments above and you yourself seem to demonize television, yet shows like “Mad Men” illustration the very evils of the advertising process and are great examples of small screen artistic production. Just because television seems to suck up all of “some” people’s free time, doesn’t mean it has to be the all consuming time time vortex it’s painted as here. I don’t watch TV except for the select shows I like and mute or skip the commercials. I did this while working the 40 hour week and now while in a more non traditional schedule. You paint a picture that seems to not be beholden to personal choice.
Just make the change, maybe slowly. Stream your shows online, stick with the computer you have instead of upgrading, bring a fancy coffee from home in a reusable mug, use your own filter water bottle. Stop blaming corporations and just start with yourself. I say this not because I don’t believe we have developed a “target market” society but because I believe blame, after a certain point, is counter productive. Just stop feeding the monster. If we all made slow changes, the economy could shift organically to accommodate these without radically displacing the people in those job sectors. People learn by example; set a good one perhaps.
I have to agree with you here. We are feeding the monster. Corporations are made up of people, and whether or not they’ve been responsible always comes down to their individual choices. I know I’ve made bad ones at times, and I have no one but myself to blame. That said, I did enjoy this article & it’s look at the modern work day. Much to ponder!
All of this is why I freelance. Since I’ve been freelancing, I don’t spend a lot of money on entertainment or meaningless floof. My big extravagances are a fancy beer and Netflix. It’s not so much that I’m making less money, although there’s that. It’s that I have a lot more time, so reading a book, working out for an hour, and taking a walk don’t feel like they’re taking away from my evening or weekend time. I don’t even really have weekends anymore, in that I don’t have to worry about cramming all of my chores into two particular days. Although I have a couple of rules about my hours, it’s really just so clients know I’m not going to interview sources at 8:00 a.m. or answer emails at 8:00 p.m.
Oh, and about average American office workers only getting about three hours of real work done in the eight hours they’re at work: That’s the main reason I freelance. I got sick of being punished for my efficiency, either with boredom or being given other people’s work when they were paid more than I was. The final straw was being expected to “make up time” for taking an extra half hour at lunch for a doctor’s appointment. Nothing like having to sit at your desk playing Minesweeper just to fill a timesheet.
Explains something about the tenacity of drug culture…
agreed! I’m always telling people how the 9-5 paradigm is absurd. I never had a full-time job, never will…can’t do it…sucks your life and spark away! and makes you an easy spender, good point. I’ve always been non-conformist…I left midway through my sophomore year in high-school to do independent study (one meeting per week with my teacher!) I do have two good part-time jobs right now however, and it’s the most i’ve ever “worked”…but it’s only temporary until I make enough money with my own art and design business. I would like to say to you however, that anything is possible…think creative, you don’t have to sacrifice yourself to the system no matter what your profession…that’s what the system would have you believe……be open, you never know what’s possible:)
True….you actually give up on all your hobbies, and like you say- “just getting by”. I think that’s true for a rising young workforce that has that kind of spending power.
Is it the corporations fault for our want to distinguish ourselves from others, our want to have more, our drive to compete with each other? I believe it is our own intrinsic nature to do so and corporations are built on the fact that there are millions of people who have the same non-egalitarian wants with the money to pay for it. The article poses the situation as if one guy, or a group of guys in corporations thoughtfully designed the situation we live in when I feel it is more a reflection of humanity when it has the resources to do as it pleases.
Recognizing all of this doesn’t do anything.
We can’t do anything about it except to stop buying, and we all know that shit isn’t gonna happen.
superb! perfect! profound! Exact!
Thanks!
This sounds great and all…but for someone like me, who’s from the Philippines (and has inherited some cultural tendencies of the Americans, boo hoo), it’s even harder to escape the 8 hour work shift. Imagine a call center agent who has a nighttime 8 hour work shift and the situation becomes even uglier. Creative types here have less job opportunities than 1st world creative types who supposedly have few job opportunities. Only those who are rich can actually afford a self-employed lifestyle. Fast internet connection is only for the upper middle class here… I wonder what kind of alternative job opportunities the author can offer? I’m not whining or ranting or whatever, just stating the situation as it is. Any advice is welcome :)
“…only those who are rich can actually afford a self-employed lifestyle…”
in american cities it is not so different from your experience in the philippines… a few Creatives “make it off the Grid” – most do not. lucky indeed are those that actually succeed in earning enough by “freelancing” to support themselves AND a family. i have encountered many former idealists who have had to humble themselves to accept whatever base wage position was finally offered, after months & sometimes years of searching for “meaningful” work and ultimately exhausting the last of their savings.
we “Working Poor” on the other hand, often never had the luxury of entertaining realistic hope of rising above our lot in life. its very very hard, in america as well as elsewhere, to build onto a missing foundation.
I worked full-time in China for a few years. While I did have extra money, it was only because my apartment was paid for by the school. Other than that, it was still what I’d describe as “The Grind”.
In other words, work can suck no matter where you live. Traveling and back-packing is awesome, no doubt! But unless one is a travel writer (which would be an AWESOME job for you!), then one HAS to work in order to afford the luxury of travel. (Yes, backpacking is considered a luxury even if you only stay in youth hostels and eat cheap street food.
It’s a fun hobby, but there’s a reason that it’s primarily young, single people in fantastic health who do it. :)
Capitalism.
Have you seen the “branded” movie? (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1368440/) Talks about that unnecessary needs the marketing companies creates for us..if you like this article you should definetely watch this movie..
Totally a worthwhile article to read. I think a majority of the public would benefit from reading this. Food, water, and Shelter is all a human being needs. If you have those bases covered than live life without all the other useless junk that just makes you dissatisfied in the end. Working your life away just makes you another one of the prisoners of Plato’s analogy of the cave (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_Cave). I am jobless at the moment (by choice) and i am the happiest man i have been since i can remember. This article just solidifies and backs my view. Only you can change your lifestyle because after all, you all write your own destiny. Don’t waste your time blaming big corporations for your unhappiness, do something about your own life. If something makes you unhappy, don’t do it! Take control and be what you were meant to be, not what everyone wants you to be. Thank you for posting this.
This is so on point! Many people don’t realize that the vast majority of their lifestyles are shaped by outside influence.
It was interesting to hear about your experience with your dollar “stretching” – I look forward to seeing if I have a similar experience!
nice article. too bad it ends up in a pile on the internet. same with all the comments. we’re all here, right now, commenting from our offices; when, really, the lot of us should have stopped reading after the first paragraph or two, got up, quit our jobs, and gone home to toss most of our shit into the front yard with a “everything $1” sign. then, wake up the next morning, and lived a good, happy life.
Thank you, I’ve been thinking this for a year, and it’s like you took all the jumbled thoughts in my brain and organized them neatly. I love this blog post, you’re a gifted person.
I thought the exact same thing, Meredith. So good to see my thoughts laid out so nicely.
We came to a similar conclusion – http://travelwithbender.com/travel-blog/guest-blog/the-great-equality-myth/
I’m only sorry you had to return to it all. We have been travelling 11 months now and hope we don’t ever have to return.
The key to escaping what you describe is by finding happiness and peace in all the little things we do throughout the day… in slowing down and taking time – because we can all take a little more time. It’s not easy but we can change our habits so that we get more enjoyment while we are at work and more enjoyment while we are at home and that should mean that we’ll stop seeking happiness by spending money at bars, restaurants, shopping, etc. And I’d like to share a little quote that helps me remember how to find freedom:
“The really important kind of freedom involves attention, and awareness, and discipline, and effort, and being able to truly care about other people, and to sacrifice for them, over and over, in myriad petty little unsexy ways, every day.” – D.F. Wallace
“Five O’Clock World” by The Vogues
have similar topic
Up every mornin just to keep a job
I gotta fight my way through the hustling mob
Sounds of the city poundin in my brain
While another day goes down the drain
But its a five oclock world when the whistle blows
No one owns a piece of my time
And theres a five oclock me inside my clothes
Thinkin that the world looks fine, yeah
Tradin my time for the pay I get
Livin on money that I aint made yet
Ive been goin tryin to make my way
While I live for the end of the day
Cuz its a five oclock world when the whistle blows
No one owns a piece of my time, and
Theres a long-haired girl who waits, I know
To ease my troubled mind, yeah
oh my lady, yeah
oh my lady, yeah
In the shelter of her arms everythings OK
When she talks then the world goes slippin away
And I know the reason I can still go on
When every other reason is gone,
In my five oclock world she waits for me
Nothing else matters at all
Cuz every time my baby smiles at me
I know thats its all worthwhile,
yeah oh my lady,
yeah oh my lady, yeah, fade……..
It’s worth noting that the 40-hour-work week was a very momentous achievement for working people. It’s remembered every year on Labor Day and May Day.
this resonates SO much. i am trying to find a way out. i find much of my unnecessary spending is on “conveniences,” but i would much rather have the time to do more of my own cooking, cleaning, organizing, entertaining, gift-making, etc. i also had an opportunity to save money and live unemployed for a year, during which i traveled and moved across coasts. when i came to sf, i thought this city’s pace was so good for me, until i started working again and realized it wasn’t so much sf that made me happier and more relaxed. it was not working.
i think what stands in my way the most (and i suspect in those who criticize your opinion) is fear. there is (perhaps falsely) a sense of security in a full-time job. there is so much fear and scarcity in our culture, and the recession made it worse i think. i know i will be unsatisfied living a life in fear, but how to overcome it, i am still working through…
Well done and well said. It’s so hard to find the happy medium. My wife and I limit ourselves to a maximum of 5 hours of TV per week (using a digital antenna), which frees up a lot of time and closes the “marketer’s” opportunity to sell to us. We typically use this “saved” time to read or exercise. Lastly, with no TV, we go to bed much earlier. The extra sleep gives us more energy and just makes us feel better.
We also cut out all processed foods, so now a lot of our free time is spent in the garden or in the kitchen. Not only is this fun and healthy, but it pumps money back into our local economy rather than into big business.
IMHO, it’s all about being outside, connecting with the natural world. You’ll feel better about yourself, get more exercise, and take more notice about where your food comes from.
You all are lucky to have jobs. :L(
Yes, and we’re all lucky to be alive too. So are you. Does that mean it’s inappropriate to identify injustices in life, that there’s nothing to discuss, nothing to criticize, nothing to improve? Does it mean everyone should shut up because they are just so damn lucky to be alive?
david- i am surprised at your attitude to this poster! why the sudden burst of hostility?
“f” did not bash on anything you said- he merely made an honest observation. You all (who have jobs-particularly jobs which pay sufficient to allow you the Great Luxury of TIME enough to enjoy your chosen pursuits) are indeed lucky.
why would taking note of this fact be offensive any more than your own honest observations on some of life’s other injustices?
please consider the post that angered you potentially may have been made from a place of deep pain in its author’s own inability to find employment at all.
there are so many of us out there you know.
many who are jobless would be happy to take those menial pennywage service positions which allow gridless globe-trekkers the luxury of such enjoyable experiences.
btw, for what its worth- i must say i do appreciate the main part of your essay, and have enjoyed reading through this entire discussion. many things have been very well said. needless consumerism definitely does place a heavy burden on many of the more affluent who could otherwise lead a freer life of greater simplicity (and hopefully therefore purpose & contribution)
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