ghsotword Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I was just thinking on my way home from work tonight...am I ever going to have a job where I don't have to stare at a computer screen all day? or answer numerous emails, talk to idiots on the phone, and deal with the mindless conversations with co-workers where nothing is really answered and you're left guessing how did work get this way? what the hell did people do at work before computers? After having done both physical and office work I have come to realise that I hate physical work and I'd rather be staring at a computer screen all day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zkom Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I mostly like my work, I just wish I had more free time. Like maybe 6 hour days or 3 day weekend.. I'm a programmer/test engineer/database admin/web developer/whatever and I just recently was wondering by myself what I would do if I didn't have to go to work for money and I'm pretty sure I would be doing the same, just my own projects instead. And maybe in a bungalow somewhere in SE Asia or the Caribbean instead of a office in the fucking subarctic.. I was just thinking on my way home from work tonight...am I ever going to have a job where I don't have to stare at a computer screen all day? or answer numerous emails, talk to idiots on the phone, and deal with the mindless conversations with co-workers where nothing is really answered and you're left guessing how did work get this way? what the hell did people do at work before computers? After having done both physical and office work I have come to realise that I hate physical work and I'd rather be staring at a computer screen all day Me too. I hate physical work. I've done some farm work, painting jobs, military service, etc and office jobs are like ten times better, for me anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WNS000 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I almost would rather do construction work or work at a fast food place than run in this fake cubicle rat race any longer I feel you. EDIT: But just in theory. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bechuga Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I work in a warehouse which entails physical activity but not excessively. It is brainless work, which is great because I get to spend the day thinking about creative stuff. Essentially, it's paid forced exercise while I ponder my next writing move. Pay could better--couldn't it always--and would definitely quit if I ever became rich/saw better opportunity, but otherwise I can deal. It's such an easy job overall I feel blessed. Plus, being on my feet all day gives me a good excuse to sit down writing for the rest of the night. Being in an office is my idea of hell honestly, even if the pay is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggy Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 A lot of people have this expectation of being in this constant state of happiness, contentment and enjoyment Not exactly a contradiciton of that but my experience of happiness is more like having more and more frequent moments where you feel all the suffering and struggling of the past becomes justified and all the things that seemed meaningless start to make sense So it's not a constant state, but the more frequent these moments are, the more happy I consider myself. So it may not be a final, constant state, but it can be something that continues in a dynamic way for a long time, even retroactively making sadness of the past become part of your happiness in the present. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npoess Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 A lot of people have this expectation of being in this constant state of happiness, contentment and enjoyment Not exactly a contradiciton of that but my experience of happiness is more like having more and more frequent moments where you feel all the suffering and struggling of the past becomes justified and all the things that seemed meaningless start to make sense So it's not a constant state, but the more frequent these moments are, the more happy I consider myself. So it may not be a final, constant state, but it can be something that continues in a dynamic way for a long time, even retroactively making sadness of the past become part of your happiness in the present. Yeah, I mean some of the happiest people are cancer survivors for example. Once you've been a dark place you'll to enjoy and appreciate the little things and not bitch and moan about every little problem you have in life. I don't think there can be true happiness without experiencing a bit of the opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patternoverlap Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I enjoy my privileged white male status Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TubularCorporation Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I'm a sound engineer at a voice over company and even though it can be extremely frustrating I think things are taking a turn for the better. I was doing more or less this (but audio books instead of voiceover) for a little over a year and it seemed like it would be great but honestly, apart from the frustrations of the actual work (bad communication and answering to people who literally couldn't hear the fairly serious technical problems in the raw recordings they were giving me, and sometimes difficulty getting paid) I found that I almost completely stopped listening to music during that time and even now a few years later I only listen to a few hours of music a week, where before that I'd been listening for a few hours a day since I was a kid. The lesson I learned was a job that turns something you love into work isn't worth it. It would be great to be able to do the things I love doing and make money on that, but using the skills from the things I love doing to make money doing things that I don't love was starting to ruin the things that taught me how to do them in the first place. I'd rather have a job that keeps me alive and stays out of the way of what I do. Which is what I have right now, so apart from being pretty poor right now I'm in a good spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoggy Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 No I'm not saying you need the dark clouds to see the rainbow... I'm just saying that hapiness can last, and sort of stretch backwards through time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npoess Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I'm not saying it's a prerequisite either, but adversity can be a developing and maturing process. Obviously I'm not saying anybody should get cancer to become happy, that's just silly. But it was mostly an example to get my point across. Anyway, I'm probably derailing the thread. Back on topic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cloud capture Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I love baking. Work with my hands, music in my ears all day. Peaceful & warm. I'm very happy when I'm at work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WNS000 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I love baking. Work with my hands, music in my ears all day. Peaceful & warm. I'm very happy when I'm at work. That's amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YangYing Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 A lot of people have this expectation of being in this constant state of happiness, contentment and enjoyment. And frankly, I think it's a slightly spoiled mentality. That's not life and has no ground in reality, life is also frustration, boredom and disappointments. I know that sound a bit melancholic and all, but the sooner you learn to accept those aspects of life, the happier you'll acutally be in the end I think. I mean a lot seniors are actually quite happy and content with life, they've learn throughout life that not everything is a dance on roses all the time, so they're content with everything not being perfect all the time. Most of us probably won't get the dream the job, and I think that is okay to be honest. There's obviously nothing wrong with trying to achieve it, I think everybody should, but there's no reason to feel like a failure if you don't. And I think people that pretend to live the "perfect life" is pretty much just really good at putting up a facade anyway. I mean you never hear about the inevitable bad days that everybody has from those people, it's just swept under the carpet. good post, whatever you're doing just force yourself to enjoy it, its always possible i think, never easy tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS20 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Chinese proverb: "Every man is the architect of his own fortune." Modern version: "Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which fills up faster." In other words, and to take artistic interpretation from from Npoess' post - just because you got squirted out of a vagina doesn't mean the world owes you happiness, survival, or prosperity. That's YOUR job - figure it out and make it happen! Despite all it's MANY faults, the world we live in today provides the greatest median standard of living our species has seen in a very long time, if not in all time. Who on this forum lives in a mud hut they built from scratch with their bare hands, drinks brown brackish water from wherever they're lucky enough to find a puddle, and dies at age 24? Nearly every human being has lived like that for 98% of our species' existence, yet it's 2015 and nobody is happy and teens commit suicide over a fuckin' tweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WNS000 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Words I live by: "Every man is the architect of his own fortune" This is one of the most problematic statements I know. There is even a big chance it is completely (and not only partially) false but it is up to the scientists to find it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zkom Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Words I live by: "Every man is the architect of his own fortune" This is one of the most problematic statements I know. There is even a big chance it is completely (and not only partially) false but it is up to the scientists to find it out. To me ít's a bit American way of thinking but hey I come from socialist Europe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS20 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 It has been the truth for millenia, nothing to do with 'merica. It was true when humans hadn't even evolved yet, and it'll be true long after we're gone. Natural selection and survival of the fittest just ARE. We have created a synthetic world to live in that is temporary and false, but it does not supersede the laws of nature - and in fact it severely conflicts with them, and it is hurting us. I'm not saying it is "every man for himself", BTW - cooperation, sharing, and mutual respect are awesome and there should be much more of that. Those things are just elements of nature (that other species posses as well) and they are a function of survival. I want a lot more of that, and the way to get more is to get DO it. That is all the point I am trying to make - you won't get anything out of life if you don't put anything into it. The methods of putting-in change over time and technology but you still have to do it if you expect to be satisfied with the outcome. I'm sorry about ruffling the people's feathers. IARP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
logakght Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I sincerely don't care about careers. I'm right now studying something I like (software engineering) but, unlike others, it is not what my life is about. I enjoy it, and I will get money from it, so with that money I can truly do all the stuff I also like, apart from programming of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lane Visitor Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 Chinese proverb: "Every man is the architect of his own fortune." Modern version: "Wish in one hand, shit in the other, and see which fills up faster." In other words, and to take artistic interpretation from from Npoess' post - just because you got squirted out of a vagina doesn't mean the world owes you happiness, survival, or prosperity. That's YOUR job - figure it out and make it happen! Despite all it's MANY faults, the world we live in today provides the greatest median standard of living our species has seen in a very long time, if not in all time. Who on this forum lives in a mud hut they built from scratch with their bare hands, drinks brown brackish water from wherever they're lucky enough to find a puddle, and dies at age 24? Nearly every human being has lived like that for 98% of our species' existence, yet it's 2015 and nobody is happy and teens commit suicide over a fuckin' tweet. It's all different circumstances, perspectives and states of mind though isnt it? As much as I feel for the past generations of our species' predicaments, I have my own situation, circumstances and perspectives. Ex: what might be absolute luxury for a caveman back in his/her time, would probably be an absolute nightmare in our age. Just because someone is suffering "moreso" than myself doesnt discount my own suffering. Not to say that its all relative, but some things are just apples & oranges and cant even be contextualized (like cavemen's lifestyles vs the modern age, or first world vs third world conditions.) I think the idea, however, of being able to find happiness within any situation/the mundane etc (as someone here said) is great wisdom, but i think theres also just as much wisdom in attempting to better your situation/ look for more opportunities as well, as i think life is a journey of many dimensions- body, mind, spirit, etc. For us first world, privileged ppl, Its scary to leave our comfort zones, jump into the unknown and risk losing things-things that we may have been used to since birth/childhood. And for those of us who carry around a lot of anxiety (like myself), it can terrifying to make radical changes or to even make certain long term decisions over others. And stress, anxiety, mental health issues etc is one of the west's almost exclusive problems that can be just as much of a plague as what native tribes or our ancient ancestors went through (although as i said, i think thats apples and oranges, but who really knows when trying to value quality of life/purpose) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS20 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 It's all different circumstances, perspectives and states of mind though isnt it? As much as I feel for the past generations of our species' predicaments, I have my own situation, circumstances and perspectives. Ex: what might be absolute luxury for a caveman back in his/her time, would probably be an absolute nightmare in our age. Just because someone is suffering "moreso" than myself doesnt discount my own suffering. Not to say that its all relative, but some things are just apples & oranges and cant even be contextualized (like cavemen's lifestyles vs the modern age, or first world vs third world conditions.) No it isn't all about that. That is PART of it, the part that changes with the "parlance of our times, man", but the OTHER part is the laws of nature and the universe. Those are an unchangeable set of rules, the very playing field everything is sitting on. What I was getting at there is that I think way too many people "set the bar" too high. It is easy to take life for granted when it's this easy, and people look for things to "suffer" about, and they dial 911 when McDonalds runs out of fried pink slime. I think the idea, however, of being able to find happiness within any situation/the mundane etc (as someone here said) is great wisdom, but i think theres also just as much wisdom in attempting to better your situation/ look for more opportunities as well, as i think life is a journey of many dimensions- body, mind, spirit, etc. Absolutely, everyone should attempt to better their situation and seek out enrichment wherever it can be found. Help others do that too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JS20 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 <dangit edit> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
futureimage Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I feel pretty incredibly lucky really - I graduated Summer 2014 and, after working in a not-brilliant environment for a couple of months, decided to go freelance (mostly with audio equipment design, amongst more "sound engineering"-y jobs) and haven't really looked back. February 2015 saw the start of the Moog Sound Lab UK project which has so far only brought more and more excitement into my "job", and given me the chance to meet some of my idols and make new friends.Having said that, being self-employed can be a complete arse. "Feast or famine" was a phrase told to me at one point in this whole venture and, indeed, that is the case. I didn't expect self-employment to be an easy ride at all, and it certainly isn't financially, but the sense of achievement is pretty huge. The bills, however, must always be paid, and sometimes that can be tricky. I'm expecting it to take another few years before a strong sense of "stability" has been reached, but certainly over a year things have only improved. If you can make it work, self-employment is definitely the way to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Npoess Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Words I live by: "Every man is the architect of his own fortune" This is one of the most problematic statements I know. There is even a big chance it is completely (and not only partially) false but it is up to the scientists to find it out. To me ít's a bit American way of thinking but hey I come from socialist Europe. Well, I'm European as well, but that doesn't take anything away from nobility of taking care of yourself for me. I just think there's a appeal to taking care of a job without too much complaining. Even if it's a boring and unfulfilling job. I mean everybody thinks they're the next big thing, but to be fair, chances are that you are probably not. So just keep your head down, work hard and hope for the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silent Member Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 I pretty much hate my job tbh, I don't think you're alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zkom Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Words I live by: "Every man is the architect of his own fortune" This is one of the most problematic statements I know. There is even a big chance it is completely (and not only partially) false but it is up to the scientists to find it out. To me ít's a bit American way of thinking but hey I come from socialist Europe. Well, I'm European as well, but that doesn't take anything away from nobility of taking care of yourself for me. I just think there's a appeal to taking care of a job without too much complaining. Even if it's a boring and unfulfilling job. I mean everybody thinks they're the next big thing, but to be fair, chances are that you are probably not. So just keep your head down, work hard and hope for the best. Yeah, I was making a bit exaggerated comment on the difference between the thinking that people create their own destiny (which is probably more common in USA) and a sort of fatalistic world view where your life is predestined (which is probably more common in Europe and perhaps Asia). Personally I think life is mostly random. You can of course influence it's direction but you can't plan your life. And evolutionary theory really doesn't apply on individual lives because it deals with big populations and shitloads of random mutations to find the fittest ways to move forward. The individual that now seems to be less fit might have some ability that helps it survive a catastrophe that destroys the seemingly more fit (think small mammals vs dinosaurs). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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