'Work-Life Balance' Will Keep You Mediocre
wsj.com
wsj.com
To clarify, I posted this because it’s interesting enough for its stupidity, not because I agree with it. Also note that it’s a commentary article in the opinions section — not an actual news article.
The terminology "Work-Life Balance" gives too much importance to work. It should be "Life Balance" in which there is at least a handful of mostly-unrelated things that should be maintained in order to achieve balance in one's life.
I've said in a past comment or two about having enough "things" going on in one's life that, if one or two are going badly, then one of the others can be 'retreated to' for comfort or solace or distraction. Decentralised happiness.
I'm happily mediocre. I'm mediocre across a number of things, but the sum total of all the mediocres is, I think, great.
Focus too much on one thing, build your entire self-worth upon it, and one mistake, not even in your own control, could be like a horse breaking a leg in a race.
Life balance, work should be but one leg of four or five.
(There is more nuance to this, but I think on the whole it's more right than wrong)
But even if it doesn't... "Money is like gasoline while driving across country on a road trip. You never want to run out, but the point of life is not to go on a tour of gas stations." - Tim O’Reilly.
"I will spend the first part of my life excelling in the very practices that cause the problems that I will solve in the second part of my life."
_If_ you get to 30 in the first place - and in good health.
Ah, the moronic bravado of the young!
Religious history is hardly peaceful. Nobody seems to bring the hate as efficiently as the religious at times.
I remember religion growing up challenging you to give to others and care for them, even more so when you might not want to / for others who are different. But when religion has power? That doesn't seem to be the case.
The religion I see at work day to day seems far more negative, and I really don't see much objection by others who are religious, not on a religious basis.
Unfortunately what you're identifying here is the effects of unchained capitalism which demands more and more while returning less and less, as it's core function. It is fundamentally unsustainable and the effects you're highlighting here (fracturing of family, fracturing of community) is the result of that pressure.
"There’s no sugarcoating the mental-health struggles, the physical deterioration or the social isolation that came with this intensity...I plan to become a billionaire by age 30. Then I will have the time and resources to tackle problems close to my heart like climate change, species extinction and economic inequality."
I hope this doesn't come across as obnoxious, but *golly* -- the simple, unaware naivete of youth! First, the assumption that he will become a billionaire, second the assumption that he will live long enough to then turn to the things 'close to his heart'. This really does seem like he is trying to convince himself that all the struggles he outlines above is "worth it". In all honesty, I hope he makes it and I hope that, in 40 years, he writes another "editorial" that reads "It was worth it".
In fact, because it's on topic, here's the full lyrics: https://www.streetdirectory.com/lyricadvisor/song/ucoowl/wha...
People are seeing that that version of "success" isn't worth your whole life. They're deciding to not chase it. That may not fit with the WSJ's version of the world, but from where I sit, it looks more like wisdom.