What DOES Rich Mean These Days?
By: Matt, September 6th, 2006
Mick made a point of great interest to me in his very recent blog post about the American fascination, or obsession, with consumption. He didn’t mean food consumption, though given the expanding waistlines of ‘Muricans that may be a valid point as well. What he was talking about is the “work to consume” mentality that has imprisoned many middle class folks in this country (metaphorically speaking, of course - I’m not talking about the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus or the return of debtor’s prison).
Side note: at some point in the near future y’all will know when I’m writing and when Mick is - for now, it’s all very mysterious, as there are no blogger profiles posted and no author information associated with posts. Still, those who are currently reading our blog - my Mom, my girlfriend and Mick’s dogs (they’re freakishly intelligent) - may know who’s who when they have a go at our sometimes esoteric prose.
Anyway, by some strange coincidence, I then read a post from “The SEO Team” blog titled “What Does ‘Rich’ Mean to You?“. They write:
WHAT DOES ‘RICH’ MEAN TO YOU?“I remember in an anthropology class in college where I learned that cultural anthropologists calculate wealth by subtracting how many hours a day the average person in a specific culture need to work to provide the essentials that keep him alive and satisfied. The end product is the time left over to pursue what someone WANTS to pursue, instead of HAS to do. “By that standard, the Kalahari bushmen were the wealthiest people in the world, working an average of two hours a day, I believe. Money is what we use to buy back our time — our lives — it seems to me.
I’d have to agree with those latest sentiments, though I also remember reading in college a book titled Working, by Studs Terkel, that studied the relationship of people to their jobs or careers. Essentially, the book celebrated work itself and consisted of a series of interviews of people with various jobs and professions. The overall theme was that these people took a great deal of pride in their jobs and defined themselves, at least to some extent, by what they “did” for a living.
That last point has some merit. Personally, I can spend my time in any way that I please, at least within reason. But I do enjoy working. And even if I were wealthy beyond all expectations, I would likely still “work” in some sense. After all, I often consider what I do now to be fun, almost like a “game”. That’s a big part of the reason that I (and Mick) started my own business so many years ago. Mick and I wanted to make loads of money, sure - but we also wanted to have fun. Now, nine working days out of ten, I feel like I’m playing a game for a living. I mean, I’m working RIGHT NOW and there’s nothing else that I’d rather be doing at this moment.
I also have this conversation with my girlfriend from time to time. I clearly define myself more by my work than she does, so it’s interesting to get her perspective on the issue. For her, work truly is a way to free up leisure time. I’m not saying she’s an absolute hedonist, mind you, or that she doesn’t have an excellent work ethic. She does, however, value her free time greatly.
Generally, what I take all this to mean is that we all generally have to work, and unless we can somehow enjoy at least some aspect of what we do for a living, we’re going to be unhappy. I don’t mean we should define ourselves by our work, but to hate it, and in turn have to endure it for any great length of time, is a recipe for misery. That said, to work our asses off and then turn around and spend money on absolutely useless stuff - well, that’s REALLY a recipe for misery. And many in this country are doing just that, having been caught up in the American consumption cycle - alas.
Tags: consumerism, work ethic
Entries