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Comment by Swizec | Hacker News Reader

> Why work at all when I can drive my Ferrari collection, all damn day.

That's fun for a week, maybe even a month, then you'd get bored. Humans need purpose and we like structure. Complete freedom terrifies and unsettles us.

Source: All my life I wanted nothing but to have enough cash in bank to take a year off and do whatever. When I got it ... at first I panicked, then I considered the boundless possibilities, then realized I have no idea what to do with that much money, put it in index funds, and went back to work. Now it sits there as a source of comfort and potential.

A modest fuck you fund that makes me feel better and gives me that sense of Oh yeah, if I stop liking my situation, I can afford to do whatever I want for a year or two without compromising my lifestyle

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> A modest fuck you fund that makes me feel better and gives me that sense of Oh yeah, if I stop liking my situation, I can afford to do whatever I want for a year or two without compromising my lifestyle

I think this is the main goal that people pursuing wealth want to achieve; moving from HAVING to work to WANTING to work. I mean I'm at a stage myself where I can comfortably take a few months, probably up to a year off using my savings; it's making me a lot less attached to my current job, and makes me look a bit more critically at it and at what else is on the market. And it makes me consider working less hours or taking less pay in favor of more enjoyment in my job. (no luck yet in that regard, lol)

I dunno, man, I think everyone's different. I'm planning on retiring (early) within the next few years. Obviously I won't know for sure until I've been retired for a bit, but I can't imagine ever wanting to have a job again.

I enjoy my current job, but it's still a job. I have people to answer to, politics to deal with, work that I dislike that I have to do in order to do the work that I do like, frustrating people who I have to work with sometimes... the usual.

If that just went away, and I could choose what to do with every moment of my time, and associate with who I wanted, and focus on passions rather than work I don't care about... that would be the best.

I took four months off last year and it was absolutely incredible. Even to the point where when I was (very rarely) bored, I even enjoyed being bored. Sure, four months isn't a year, or ten years, or 40 years, but it just felt like the right way to live. In a weird way it actually felt more structured; I actually planned things with friends (or by myself) at particular times, stuck to the things I'd committed to, exercised more, cooked more, and just felt so unhurried and relaxed all the time.

We'll see, I guess.

I am with you, I don't know why people are so scared about not going to work.

Due to some lucky events I was able to maintain some fairly large custom ERP system. After few inital years all the big problems were fixed and I was keeping eye on it for next 10 years. In reality it meant about 1 or 2 hours of work every (other) month and I was paid enough to be confortable, not that much, but enough to live the life I wanted. Kind of universal income reality.

What do you think? Did I missed going to the office? Was I depressed because I haven't been climbing corporate ladder? Nah, it was awesome.

I spent few years traveling, I worked on more then 50 projects (SW and HW), I tried to launch few startups and helped couple VC funded companies, I've even bought farm and and was fortunate to spend a few years with my newly born kids without constantly thinking about some deadlines that was not imposed by me. I never felt like I was wasting my life, quite oposite: I had so much time for exploring various projects and learn new skill and I didn't need to think about will-that-make-it-me-some-money type of questions.

I am currently working normal job (well, it remote and 4-days a week, but still) writing software for banks, telcos and other corporations and it just didn't filled me with purpose or self-actualisation.

> I tried to launch few startups and helped couple VC funded companies, I've even bought farm and and was fortunate to spend a few years with my newly born kids without constantly thinking about some deadlines that was not imposed by me.

All of that _is_ work, just in a different form.

Of course that is work, but not job and definitely not a career. What do you think you are going to do when you get basic income?

In my case when somebody asked me and I haven't have had much going on I did it, but I haven't chased anything.

I guess I was exaggerating a tad bit, you can have a Ferrari for 3k per month, after all it's just a car and your back would hurt literally driving it all day. I was think that mundane things like running to the Post Office or picking kid up from school would be a blast because all trips start and end with a roar. Of course you have to be a car person, some people would get the same feeling from riding their bicycle.

Purpose and structure doesn't have to come from a job. I took 2 years off, and then spent another 2 years working on a startup without getting paid for most of it, and it was one of the most fulfilling things I've done.

But did you spend all day every day chasing hedonistic pursuits like GP mentions? That’s the part I think would get boring fast.

I completed a lot of Xbox games..

This is what I have been doing for the past 13 months, living on saving and building my dream startup... It's going ok, we are launching out first version before the end of the year, after about 6 months of delays.

You should take that year off and travel.

Yeah but then I’d be at zero and it really does provide me much peace of mind that I’m not. Even more than I expected.

Knowing you can always walk away from a job, project, or client is quite intoxicating.

Do what makes you happy, but:

> Yeah but then I’d be at zero

You'd not be at zero. Everyone's different but when I look back on my life, I treasure the travel I did and its been a regular influence on my perspective of the world ever since. I would love to have a year of FU money but... I don't think I would part with my travel history for it.

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