9 to 5

[poliphilo]

The kind of life that everyone is supposed to want- safe, secure, prosperous, no serious worries or upsets, steady employment, 2.5 children- all that sort of thing-  is the kind that people are most likely to regret when they look back from the lip of the grave. On the other hand a rackety sort of life, full of changes of scenery and fortune- with slidings up and down the social scale- is the kind they're most likely to be pleased with.

We're not timorous beasties, us humans- we're designed for hardship and adventure. Our brains and bodies are adaptable and resilient. They crave the fullest exercise we can give them. 9 to 5 is not really what we want.

I look back and, by and large, the things I'm proudest of are the risks I took.

Comments

[tamnonlinear.livejournal.com]

I'm proudest of the times I've been able to help others. That's easiest to do when you yourself aren't struggling. A steady job may not be the most fulfilling thing in the world, but for a lot of people, it isn't anything more than what allows them to do what they feel really matters. I don't particularly want a life full of racket- risks in my life have proven to be ways to lose, not ways to win. I'd rather have a small life, a comfortable life, and right now I really, really wish that included a boring, steady employment, because the lack of it isn't a fun slide up and down the social scale, it's a fairly steady descent. I don't want personal excitement, I want to have enough stability that I can help those that don't have that.

I see what you're saying, and I know it works better for a lot of folks that way, but we need all sorts of people. All those boring little workers with their smaller lives provide the warp and weft of society. Not everyone wants to be the bold decoration or the brightest parts of the tapestry. It's fine to say it isn't what you want, and I'm glad you know and have done more of what you do want, but it's just meanness to deride the folks that show up every day and make sure things get done even if they aren't exciting.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I don't believe I'm deriding anyone- just stating a preference.

"Sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife.
To all the sensual world proclaim
One crowded hour of glorious life
Is worth an age without an name."