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Forums - General Discussion - Why do people bother? (wall of text)

So much to say on this. First I have to ask how old you are. Because your age and where you are in life right now can impact your viewpoint.

I work 2 jobs, one at a administrative position at a University and another as a department lead/forklift driver for a warehouse wholesale store for a total of 70 hours per week. The 3 nights I have off per week I spend with my very supportive girlfriend. Sometimes I spend two nights a week with her because I spend the third with my friends. Family time is restricted to the 20 minutes when I come home from 11:30 - 11:50. I sleep and my day repeats all over again.

I have a $520 000 house with a combined $3000 per month mortgage/loan payments. Bills are a lot and I work alot but I do it because I chose this lifestyle and i will do whatever it takes to maintain it. My choice. I could only work one job and get a basement apartment or even a cheap condo. But I want better things and therefore I am willing to sacrifice a lot of free time to earn my ideal lifestyle. Also to provide for my future family.

Complaining about capitalism, government, what's wrong in the world, etc. gets you nowhere. Just placing blame on things that aren't yourself. The world ain't fair and you have to stop whining and start adapting. Try living in a 3rd world country....THAT'S suffering. Your spoiled and you don't even know it with more opportunities then you know exist.

Questioning going on, that is what really bothers me. We don't all people stuck in a endless cycle of work just kill themselves? We go on for the good things. Raising a family and watching them grow, connecting with family, friends, and other loved ones. No matter how much I work, I always find the time, no matter how little, to enjoy the little things like gaming and just going out for a drink.

The first thing you have to change is your outlook. This isn't a utopian society, you have to earn your way in this world. I am currently typing this while working at my university job. I'm good at multitasking this; I answered and helped 7 students while typing this. If you aren't working at a job right now, I suggest getting to work.



Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles. 

 

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Despite all the negatives, there are indeed positives. There will always be bad people and bad groups, regardless of anything. People are just born that way. It's up to you to find your purpose. Some people see capitalism as the tool that will one day make it possible to reach the stars, or colonize, etc etc.
Meanwhile, under the wing, there are still cherished, important people in our lives and we can choose to live with them.
There is a price to pay for everything however. Just remember that. Keep struggling, keep fighting. There is nothing else.



sales2099 said:
So much to say on this. First I have to ask how old you are. Because your age and where you are in life right now can impact your viewpoint.

I work 2 jobs, one at a administrative position at a University and another as a department lead/forklift driver for a warehouse wholesale store for a total of 70 hours per week. The 3 nights I have off per week I spend with my very supportive girlfriend. Sometimes I spend two nights a week with her because I spend the third with my friends. Family time is restricted to the 20 minutes when I come home from 11:30 - 11:50. I sleep and my day repeats all over again.

I have a $520 000 house with a combined $3000 per month mortgage/loan payments. Bills are a lot and I work alot but I do it because I chose this lifestyle and i will do whatever it takes to maintain it. My choice. I could only work one job and get a basement apartment or even a cheap condo. But I want better things and therefore I am willing to sacrifice a lot of free time to earn my ideal lifestyle. Also to provide for my future family.

Complaining about capitalism, government, what's wrong in the world, etc. gets you nowhere. Just placing blame on things that aren't yourself. The world ain't fair and you have to stop whining and start adapting. Try living in a 3rd world country....THAT'S suffering. Your spoiled and you don't even know it with more opportunities then you know exist.

Questioning going on, that is what really bothers me. We don't all people stuck in a endless cycle of work just kill themselves? We go on for the good things. Raising a family and watching them grow, connecting with family, friends, and other loved ones. No matter how much I work, I always find the time, no matter how little, to enjoy the little things like gaming and just going out for a drink.

The first thing you have to change is your outlook. This isn't a utopian society, you have to earn your way in this world. I am currently typing this while working at my university job. I'm good at multitasking this; I answered and helped 7 students while typing this. If you aren't working at a job right now, I suggest getting to work.


One point of view.  Some would prefer to work less and enjoy themselves more while they can....I've known plenty of people that work 80 plus hours a week and I believe most are too tired and distracted to really realize the why.... but that's your choice, and that's cool. 

I used to work 60 plus hours a week (in my early 30's by the way, I was in my mid-20's at the time) when I was having a talk to one of my co-workers.  Guy was an engineer in his late 60's, and he told me I needed to relax a bit more.... he told me this story.  When he was a young man, he was very career driven.  A few years out of college a friend of his convinced him to take a month off in the summer, had to really twist his arm too.  At one point the two men went mountain climbing, and my co-worker said it was an intense, beautiful experience he would never forget.  When he was done, and they were at the base of the mountain he saw a tour bus full of elderly tourists pull up.  They got out and started snapping photos of the mountain, and he thought to himself "my god, they are taking pictures of this thing, and I just climbed it!"

The moral of the story?  Do things while you're young enough to enjoy them.  Make sure you are enjoying your life, because chances are you only getting this one.  My wife and I work from home now, we started a business and both do a lot of freelance work.  I'm not making as much as I used to, but I make enough to cover my bills, have fun, and put some into savings. 

I'm not saying that their is no virtue or reason to a work-a-holic lifestyle, but it's not the only way to live your life. 



Spazzy_D said:
sales2099 said:
So much to say on this. First I have to ask how old you are. Because your age and where you are in life right now can impact your viewpoint.

I work 2 jobs, one at a administrative position at a University and another as a department lead/forklift driver for a warehouse wholesale store for a total of 70 hours per week. The 3 nights I have off per week I spend with my very supportive girlfriend. Sometimes I spend two nights a week with her because I spend the third with my friends. Family time is restricted to the 20 minutes when I come home from 11:30 - 11:50. I sleep and my day repeats all over again.

I have a $520 000 house with a combined $3000 per month mortgage/loan payments. Bills are a lot and I work alot but I do it because I chose this lifestyle and i will do whatever it takes to maintain it. My choice. I could only work one job and get a basement apartment or even a cheap condo. But I want better things and therefore I am willing to sacrifice a lot of free time to earn my ideal lifestyle. Also to provide for my future family.

Complaining about capitalism, government, what's wrong in the world, etc. gets you nowhere. Just placing blame on things that aren't yourself. The world ain't fair and you have to stop whining and start adapting. Try living in a 3rd world country....THAT'S suffering. Your spoiled and you don't even know it with more opportunities then you know exist.

Questioning going on, that is what really bothers me. We don't all people stuck in a endless cycle of work just kill themselves? We go on for the good things. Raising a family and watching them grow, connecting with family, friends, and other loved ones. No matter how much I work, I always find the time, no matter how little, to enjoy the little things like gaming and just going out for a drink.

The first thing you have to change is your outlook. This isn't a utopian society, you have to earn your way in this world. I am currently typing this while working at my university job. I'm good at multitasking this; I answered and helped 7 students while typing this. If you aren't working at a job right now, I suggest getting to work.


One point of view.  Some would prefer to work less and enjoy themselves more while they can....I've known plenty of people that work 80 plus hours a week and I believe most are too tired and distracted to really realize the why.... but that's your choice, and that's cool. 

I used to work 60 plus hours a week (in my early 30's by the way, I was in my mid-20's at the time) when I was having a talk to one of my co-workers.  Guy was an engineer in his late 60's, and he told me I needed to relax a bit more.... he told me this story.  When he was a young man, he was very career driven.  A few years out of college a friend of his convinced him to take a month off in the summer, had to really twist his arm too.  At one point the two men went mountain climbing, and my co-worker said it was an intense, beautiful experience he would never forget.  When he was done, and they were at the base of the mountain he saw a tour bus full of elderly tourists pull up.  They got out and started snapping photos of the mountain, and he thought to himself "my god, they are taking pictures of this thing, and I just climbed it!"

The moral of the story?  Do things while you're young enough to enjoy them.  Make sure you are enjoying your life, because chances are you only getting this one.  My wife and I work from home now, we started a business and both do a lot of freelance work.  I'm not making as much as I used to, but I make enough to cover my bills, have fun, and put some into savings. 

I'm not saying that their is no virtue or reason to a work-a-holic lifestyle, but it's not the only way to live your life. 

Fair enough. There is more then one way to reach an ideal lifestyle. Each of our stories can benefit the OP.



Xbox: Best hardware, Game Pass best value, best BC, more 1st party genres and multiplayer titles. 

 

sales2099 said:
Spazzy_D said:
sales2099 said:
So much to say on this. First I have to ask how old you are. Because your age and where you are in life right now can impact your viewpoint.

I work 2 jobs, one at a administrative position at a University and another as a department lead/forklift driver for a warehouse wholesale store for a total of 70 hours per week. The 3 nights I have off per week I spend with my very supportive girlfriend. Sometimes I spend two nights a week with her because I spend the third with my friends. Family time is restricted to the 20 minutes when I come home from 11:30 - 11:50. I sleep and my day repeats all over again.

I have a $520 000 house with a combined $3000 per month mortgage/loan payments. Bills are a lot and I work alot but I do it because I chose this lifestyle and i will do whatever it takes to maintain it. My choice. I could only work one job and get a basement apartment or even a cheap condo. But I want better things and therefore I am willing to sacrifice a lot of free time to earn my ideal lifestyle. Also to provide for my future family.

Complaining about capitalism, government, what's wrong in the world, etc. gets you nowhere. Just placing blame on things that aren't yourself. The world ain't fair and you have to stop whining and start adapting. Try living in a 3rd world country....THAT'S suffering. Your spoiled and you don't even know it with more opportunities then you know exist.

Questioning going on, that is what really bothers me. We don't all people stuck in a endless cycle of work just kill themselves? We go on for the good things. Raising a family and watching them grow, connecting with family, friends, and other loved ones. No matter how much I work, I always find the time, no matter how little, to enjoy the little things like gaming and just going out for a drink.

The first thing you have to change is your outlook. This isn't a utopian society, you have to earn your way in this world. I am currently typing this while working at my university job. I'm good at multitasking this; I answered and helped 7 students while typing this. If you aren't working at a job right now, I suggest getting to work.


One point of view.  Some would prefer to work less and enjoy themselves more while they can....I've known plenty of people that work 80 plus hours a week and I believe most are too tired and distracted to really realize the why.... but that's your choice, and that's cool. 

I used to work 60 plus hours a week (in my early 30's by the way, I was in my mid-20's at the time) when I was having a talk to one of my co-workers.  Guy was an engineer in his late 60's, and he told me I needed to relax a bit more.... he told me this story.  When he was a young man, he was very career driven.  A few years out of college a friend of his convinced him to take a month off in the summer, had to really twist his arm too.  At one point the two men went mountain climbing, and my co-worker said it was an intense, beautiful experience he would never forget.  When he was done, and they were at the base of the mountain he saw a tour bus full of elderly tourists pull up.  They got out and started snapping photos of the mountain, and he thought to himself "my god, they are taking pictures of this thing, and I just climbed it!"

The moral of the story?  Do things while you're young enough to enjoy them.  Make sure you are enjoying your life, because chances are you only getting this one.  My wife and I work from home now, we started a business and both do a lot of freelance work.  I'm not making as much as I used to, but I make enough to cover my bills, have fun, and put some into savings. 

I'm not saying that their is no virtue or reason to a work-a-holic lifestyle, but it's not the only way to live your life. 

Fair enough. There is more then one way to reach an ideal lifestyle. Each of our stories can benefit the OP.

Agreed, I was afraid that I may have come off as a bit too harsh towards your pointm of view, I just wanted to point out that their are other ways to go about things.

The important thing, in my opnion, is to not sit on your hands and to actually move forwards.  If you hate a job and aren't going to excel at it then you are wasting your time and your well being.  Either quit and do something else or rededicate your self to your work. 



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PhoenixKing said:


Oh, yes, you're probably thinking something about God or family. I doubt God's existence because the more I think about religion, the more it seems like a way for the rich to control the poor. That's exactly what happens when religion blends with politics and many of the employees I met at Walmart had the idea that they needed to work until they died in the future at such a terrible job. Whether for their kids, or self-doubt, or both, it doesn't matter. Faith provides the perfect "happy magic everything is worth it" garbage idealism necessary to exploit others. And that's what capitalism is all about, exploiting everyone until they're dead. 

No, don't give up on seeking God.

Jesus said it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.
(Matthew 19:24)



PhoenixKing said:

 capitalism doesn't like following safety rules.


that's Chernobyl



PhoenixKing said:
think-man said:
It sucks man I know :( Luckily here in NZ its so easy to get an education don't need to save any money or anything so you can easily swap professions ( I was a plumber now im a computer programmer lol)

They didnt give a fu*k about my safety when I was plumbing so told them to get stuffed and went and did something else.

Stay positive, lifes a gift.

I try to. But I think I've really come to hate capitalism as a whole. I can't even help it anymore. I'm not saying that I advocate socialism since that leads to even more genocidal behavior. But, I'm just so tired of forcing myself and all I see now is people wasting their lives away for fake comfort.  

I don't think you hate capitalism ... it sounds like you just hate the jobs you have had because they were either A. Unfulfilling B. Didn't pay well enough C. Had bad management that you clashed with. D. Were just not good a match for your skills/ambitions.

Let me put it another way ... whenever I had gym class as a kid I used to say that dodgeball was a terrible activity that no one should play. Is dodgeball a terrible activity for kids to engage in? Maybe ... but it might have had something to do with the fact that I enjoyed other sports and I really had no talent when it came to dodgeball ... I even pretended to be sick a lot or used a medical excuse whenever we played it I hated it so much. This doesn't mean that dodgeball is bad it just means it was a bad fit for me ... like the jobs you took.

Some people actually enjoy climbing through retail (my old manager was one of them) and being a paralegal may not be a bad job for others, but it was obviously not for you. My advice would be to try many different jobs (not a crazy amount that would make you look risky to hire, but  a fair amount). Chances are, you will find something that you enjoy. You don't necessarily need a degree ... even if you do you could always try to get financial aid and at least get an associate's degree in something ... would try to make it quick though if I were you since school is such a soul crushing experience imo.

Capitalism is not about exploiting others for your own benefit ... that is socialism (a mad grab for power between politicians that want to control the wealth they stole from an entire nation). Free market capitalism (which we don't have but still...) is all about trade. You trade your labor to an employer and they pay you ... no exploitation involved. If you don't like one employer just move on to the next one (harder and harder to do in this economy but you can thank the government for that). 

As an atheist, I would, naturally, advise you to not expect answers to your problems to come from God, or from anything not grounded in reality. Problems in your life will not fix themselves, you have to fix them ... and that is a challenge for all of us. It is much easier to just wait for a solution to all of your problems rather than taking a risk and trying to fix them yourself, but a magical solution, much like God, just does not exist.



People "throwing" their lives away for "green paper"?

That's utterly ridiculous. Do you know what makes people live a comfortable life? Feed their families? Have a house? Be able to afford medicine? Or do anything that is a privilege to have in a First World Country? (Considering not everyone everywhere has the privileges and security people in First World Countries could/will have.) That "green paper." Yes, that's the answer.

People (well, some do. But I'm talking about the majority.) don't work their butts off just because they want mounds of cash, just because. They work their butts off so they can earn that cash that will afford them comfortable lives, or even get them past in life. People work hard (or maybe what you consider "throw their life away) so they can feed their families, afford rent/mortgage, be able to have fun, etc., etc., etc.

Now, I read most of the rest of your wall of text and I agree with Jay that you have seemed to encounter more bad times than good so maybe this is what lead you to think this way. Negatively. But you shouldn't let bad encounters or anything that might hurt you in any way shape or form affect how you operate. You need to keep trying, life is worth it. There are so many good times that could be had and so many amazing things that you can witness.



This thread is like reading,something that I would write. I'm personally just going through the motions,until I die. I've worked at walmart neighborhood market for 12 years and hate every bit of it. I always act like I care,but that's just to hide the pain of working there. I'll probably have to work until they day I die,which can't be soon enough,as far as I'm concerned. I've been single all my life,so I get paid enough,were I can pay all my bills and have alittle spending money,but all that seems pointless lately. I don't really have any friends. Nobody really cares. Movies and video games are my only joy and escape from this sad world that I live in. Nothing really means anything.