American society wants you to be a workaholic with no life.

[Wolfeye]

American society wants to direct other people, too. They like comporting other people's lives & just generally running things. They want to be the "wellspring" that things flow from. I notice not everyone's like that, but it seems that those that are generally get protected- especially by people that deem anyone that argues against that a hypocrite. As if THEY are anything but a hypocrite, at that point- since their definition of that is basically anyone that argues against anything. They are a hypocrite because they're being "the same thing," by working against SOMETHING.

I always wondered if maybe they were just trying to back up whatever f***ed-up thing is in play at the moment & they may very well be, but I also figure it could just be a reflex habit. Arguing with whatever someone says or does. I guess it could also be because their ego gets stubbed because referencing any issue, to them, implies something less about them- that the situation of them has f***ed-up things in it. Or for not fighting back against these things. Or because of the reflex belief that official things come from voting & public decisions, so it's their fault- even though the reality is that no one consulted them about anything (which, of course, has the same effect- the situation of them has the low quality aspect of them not having a say in what happens, so it wounds their ego & they "kill the messenger").

[davewe]

Well here's a topic I think I know something about- and it's all true. I work for a Fortune 500 company and I should say from the start that overall they have been very good to me. Salary and bonuses are very good. 3 weeks of vacation is better than the US average.

As a salaried employee I can take time off for sickness or family needs with no questions asked. But here's where it gets tricky. I can be out sick, but the work still has to get done. That means I have to do it or find some dumb schmuck willing to do it for me.

At 62 I am near the end of the work road. I know it, my manager knows it and everyone I work with knows it. Yet this summer I am working harder than I have worked in years. Why? Because I am covering for another employee who is off for 10 weeks. So I have my job to do + her job. No one cares that I am only her temporary coverage - the work has to get done. Yesterday my back was killing me (totally stress related) and I decided to work from home. I spent the day putting out fires instead of resting the back.

I have worked for my company for about 12 years and in that time I have known 5 people who actually retired. Now this is weird since with salary, benefits and stock you'd think lots of people would retire. I know plenty of guys who got downsized, fired as they got older, burned out, got ill and were forced to leave, and just plain died - but I only know 5 guys who planned the retirement, had the party and went off into the sunset.

When I tell people that I am going to retire in 2017 (maybe sooner at this rate of madness) and will retire abroad, they look at me like I am crazy. They can't imagine retirement, can't imagine how to afford to maintain their lifestyle, and can't imagine why I would live anywhere but the USA, where we can work ourselves to death and make the most money.

I don't consider myself a workaholic but I agree that the US tries to make you into one. But there is an end to that path and very soon I will be getting off it.

[Lorenzo]

When I tell people that I am going to retire in 2017 (maybe sooner at this rate of madness) and will retire abroad, they look at me like I am crazy.

You are planning to have a baby, right? That changes everything...

[davewe]

When I tell people that I am going to retire in 2017 (maybe sooner at this rate of madness) and will retire abroad, they look at me like I am crazy.

You are planning to have a baby, right? That changes everything...

Well they look at me like I am crazy for that as well But that won't change the retirement plans.

[Wolfeye]

davewe: Yeah, I see that with some of my relatives. Don't know why someone would think the work "has" to get done, since if it doesn't get done it doesn't get done- what happens is what occurs, after all. Sure, the endeavor "starves to death." So what? Is everything running on the concept of complete failure if there isn't perfect output? Every iota of activity is a necessity to keep this company from collapsing? I asked my mother something one time when discussing this subject of "the work still has to get done & no one's going to do it for me": "What happens if you die in a car wreck?" I wonder if a strike would actually kill some of these businesses & then they couldn't make so many demands or f**k things up like they do. "Too big to fail," eh?

I have a hard time (not an impossible one) believing that people are going to deliberately starve themselves to death because some big company went under. I don't see accommodation of prices that are too high at that point. I'd imagine forced re-pricing would happen quite frequently. I also imagine that numerous "f**k up endeavors" would fall by the wayside, since there isn't enough to sustain the f**k up.

[Hero]

-Newsflash-
If you are a workaholic with no life you can afford to travel overseas. If you have a decent job you should be able to receive 2 weeks off a year Paid Vacation.

Wow! An entire two weeks? Truly the stuff dreams are made of. That other 50 weeks of soul-killing bullshit every year is no problem at all, no sir, not a problem as long as I've got my two weeks vacation.

[momopi]

Well here's a topic I think I know something about- and it's all true. I work for a Fortune 500 company and I should say from the start that overall they have been very good to me. Salary and bonuses are very good. 3 weeks of vacation is better than the US average.
As a salaried employee I can take time off for sickness or family needs with no questions asked. But here's where it gets tricky. I can be out sick, but the work still has to get done. That means I have to do it or find some dumb schmuck willing to do it for me.
At 62 I am near the end of the work road. I know it, my manager knows it and everyone I work with knows it. Yet this summer I am working harder than I have worked in years. Why? Because I am covering for another employee who is off for 10 weeks. So I have my job to do + her job. No one cares that I am only her temporary coverage - the work has to get done. Yesterday my back was killing me (totally stress related) and I decided to work from home. I spent the day putting out fires instead of resting the back.
I have worked for my company for about 12 years and in that time I have known 5 people who actually retired. Now this is weird since with salary, benefits and stock you'd think lots of people would retire. I know plenty of guys who got downsized, fired as they got older, burned out, got ill and were forced to leave, and just plain died - but I only know 5 guys who planned the retirement, had the party and went off into the sunset.
When I tell people that I am going to retire in 2017 (maybe sooner at this rate of madness) and will retire abroad, they look at me like I am crazy. They can't imagine retirement, can't imagine how to afford to maintain their lifestyle, and can't imagine why I would live anywhere but the USA, where we can work ourselves to death and make the most money.
I don't consider myself a workaholic but I agree that the US tries to make you into one. But there is an end to that path and very soon I will be getting off it.

I worked for a Fortune 500 company for 12 years previously. The company had generous retirement benefits but very few of my coworkers actually planned for early retirement, or even bothered to manage their retirement funds better. The ones that were able to retire early watched their money & retirement/investment accounts like a hawk, in addition to investment properties. The ones that did not plan for early retirement were more carefree and spent their money on things like horses, boats, and trips abroad.

I think it's really up to the individual to decide for themselves. Some are happy to watch their pennies so they can retire early, others prefer to spend their earnings at Champs Elysées in Paris. As long as you got your time & money's worth. What is bad is when people work their ass off at a job they hate and cannot retire early or enjoy life. They refuse to take the risk of voting with their feet to find something better, in fear of finding something worse.