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Comment by itamarst | Hacker News Reader

Of course management will try to sell you your job as "higher aspiration" or a "sacred" goal (drink the startup kool-aid!). Means you'll work harder and longer and bargain less. They will also happily fire you, lay you off or cut your wages when times are bad. And then your lower aspirations (food, shelter) will suffer too.

Which is not to say you shouldn't enjoy your job, or aim to do fulfilling meaningful work. But doing one thing to exclusion of all others is not healthy. It's not productive, either - work/life balance will make you more productive: https://codewithoutrules.com/2016/11/10/work-life-balance-so...

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I think you're thinking with the framework of contemporary corporations and 'employment' structures. I think many of us need to look outside of that box.

I've found there are organizations that are actually working toward higher aspirations, I don't think this is always or even often a bait-and-switch tactic which is what your 'kool-aid' comment implies.

Where's the implication that 'work' is only one thing? My work is almost certainly TOO varied.

In other words, you have hobbies.

If you can start an organization with a fundamentally different power structure (and maybe cooperatives could fit the bill) that seems maybe possible. If you're working for a normal company, you're just deluding yourself. I quite like the people I work for... but it's still in part an economic relationship, they have investors, and we might run out of money. So there are circumstances where I will need to find a new job. So my current job better not be my religion however much I like its goals or my coworkers.

Just because the organization works towards something meaningful doesn't mean it should consume your life. You still become distorted as a human if you don't have time just for playing, and friends, and family. It's called workaholism, and it's not a good thing.

Oh, and you'd need a fundamentally different economic system where people don't need to work to get basics like shelter or food or social status. All for that, but until we get there you're describing a goal which only the independently wealthy can afford to think about.

> until we get there you're describing a goal which only the independently wealthy can afford to think about.

That sounds true.

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