> Actually there have been studies that have shown that while more money doesn't provide happiness, enough money is a pre-requisite. We're not talking a ton, we're talking enough to pay for food, shelter, and some basic form of entertainment.

True, but the amount of money required for this is not much. If you aren't picky where, and you have neough saved up to buy a house, you might be able to get by relatively well on $3000 a year in some parts of the world.

> Have you started a retail business?

I have helped.

Part of what you are talking about though is the cost in a more complex society of doing this. Now a bakery is not necessarily a retail business primarily. The most successful bakeries I know do both retail and wholesale baking. I think it would be impossible to get by really on only one side. People who want to buy your bread will come by, but you do not want to make everyone come to your store just to buy a loaf of bread. You have to get it in other stores.

So I don't think it is fair to call it just a retail business.

> However painting it with the rose-tinted glasses of "You get to interact with more people, get involved in your community, and people can taste the results of your work." belies the actual hard work that building a business is.

I think what you are missing though is that both programming and baking are ultimately about creatively making something. I don't mean just artistically. I mean it is about craft and seeing things come to life in your hands. Part of the question is who you answer to and how deep your hands are in it physically.

So no I don't see it as stupid to open up a bakery. As with any business you need to do your planning first, prepare for an extended period without profit, etc going in (and have capital investment of your own to make it work).