I submitted this because there seems to be a lot of interest in PG essays here, but I didn't really like this one... am curious what others will think.
Parts of it didn't ring true: I wouldn't regret spending the whole day in front of the TV because I was having fun (as opposed to doing work), but because it _isn't_ much fun, it's just wasting time.
And while it has been many years since I trained in anthropology, my memory is that hunter-gatherers _don't_ work particularly long hours -- something like 20-30 hours a week. So I doubt that we have any biological imperative against self-indulgence. The direct imperatives of averting hunger, cold, etc. are probably sufficient.
I do suspect that all 9-5 jobs teach us to tolerate doing work of dubious merit. It's hard to avoid, because you are being paid to take orders more than get things done.
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[ 4.9 ms ] story [ 18.2 ms ] threadParts of it didn't ring true: I wouldn't regret spending the whole day in front of the TV because I was having fun (as opposed to doing work), but because it _isn't_ much fun, it's just wasting time.
And while it has been many years since I trained in anthropology, my memory is that hunter-gatherers _don't_ work particularly long hours -- something like 20-30 hours a week. So I doubt that we have any biological imperative against self-indulgence. The direct imperatives of averting hunger, cold, etc. are probably sufficient.
I do suspect that all 9-5 jobs teach us to tolerate doing work of dubious merit. It's hard to avoid, because you are being paid to take orders more than get things done.