The Wickedness of Working Less

Too much free time means inviting wickedness to your life, so you ought to work! It seems that too much thinking can also be bad. I felt this many times as I look back at my yuppie years. Back in the day, I still had no plans to systematically overthrow the government and annoy the hell out of people with my healthy rants. There was neither time for leisure nor free-thinking. Can you do anything about this when working all your life has been shoved down your throat? The big screen is part of it, go figure. I seriously think that working for 4 hours a day would suffice. But why do you care about those who don't really care about your physical and mental health? You give your whole life to make others richer and powerful. You give your life to them so others can suffer. The whole dog eat dog system prevails. But deep down, you already know that there's more to life than paying the bills, you know that you live to live. But it is just scary to get out... it feels just not right. It is like being lost out there. I know the feeling so well.

Unfortunately, the standard of living has been multiplied which means people need to work until death. If you overcome this whole productivity guilt and decide to work less, it means that you won't be able to sleep in your beautiful house at the end of the day. It seems that it is a crime to be poor these days.

I tried to compare the benefits of working more to working less. Living in the city means I have to work more. Should I decide to live there again, I would have no choice but to work in those corporations. But it also means that after a couple of years - I would get burned out, dissatisfied and unhappy again. The effects of working more just made me quit my job to push for personal change. It is not something one can do overnight. You really have to be determined to make a change in your life. When you have nothing left to do anymore but to live.

Working less can be hard but I don't think there's anything it does not solve. But to make it happen, I first need to lower my standard of living. As long as I'm able to pull it off, I can see the greater benefits to my well-being. Compared to when I was working full-time, I was so stressed out and always wanting to travel and escape. Now there's more inner peace and satisfaction. More time for passion, leisure, and people. Basically, I see that the point is to create a life that I don't need to escape from anymore. But it is not easy to look like a weirdo and not live like the rest.

Deciding to live in a rural area where the cost of living is low and there are simple pleasures in life can be really challenging. I'm sure you've read about my own challenges. In other countries, there's always this divide between the city people and rural folks. I try my best not to portray that typical whiny, fast and impatient city girl - but yeah I know I can be sometimes. Don't get me wrong, ruralites are nice, laidback but can be quite judgmental. I have to consider these things if I am to adapt to this whole new lifestyle I created.

Those are just the little things but the benefits of working less are far better than I was working full time for someone else. Sure, I have more money back then, I could afford to buy clothes, gadgets and more stuff. I could afford a luxurious 2-week holiday a year. But later on, I realized that I don't get satisfaction with material things and short holidays. Wealth should be used for leisure and pleasure but that's not the case these days. Unless you are very rich that you can afford a yacht and you don't need to work anymore. Even the elites have their own challenges, it is not also easy being too rich. They are few and their social circle is small, these people don't have any connection to the majority anymore. And that can be sad. The good old - anything in excess can be bad still rules the universe.

You have to weigh the pros and cons, what is really more fulfilling? What will give you maximum well-being? Working less or working more? I doubt that those people you work for will hear your cries and demands for a shorter work week. I had done that but it didn't work for me. The worse thing was that I had spent my whole time every day with those who are capable of power-tripping and all that male dominance thing in the workplace. The whole overtime culture is not healthy. You are only prone to committing errors sacrificing the quality of your work. Stress can also ruin relationships. There's also higher suicide rates in a workaholic developed world - just look at Japan. So I finally managed to get out of the lamp, I can't go back.

I do believe that there are choices in life, it is just a matter of taking a leap of faith. I believe that working full time is easier. It is easier to participate. It is easier to just follow the pattern. It is easier not to have free time to think of what's really best for you. Because that is what you have been taught - not to think anymore. Not to make your own choices. Because working less will give you more time - and you won't be supporting the system anymore. It would be challenging to keep up with the modern world. It would be challenging to look strange. It requires a mentality overhaul. It requires facing the fear of uncertainties. But isn't time to ease the suffering of other people too by not supporting the system? It is time to think that pursuing your passion or doing what you love during your free time is not evil. It is not lost time or a class privilege. It is not for boredom and idleness. It is for creativity. It is for yourself and others. It is not yet a forgotten dream. There is other way than your way.