What is the meaning of it all?
In the last few days I've read a few things which, on the surface are not related, but when you have a highly trained mind like mine...
I didn't actually read the first one, it was transmitted to me via The Great Square Eye. It was a half hour doco about Stefano DiPieri, one of the very few telly cooks that I wouldn't like to see char-grilled. It appears that Stefano is a member of the slow food movement.
Then, yesterday morning I saw this post on 2 Blowhards. Coupled with a post I saw on Blastradius, I got to thinking, which usually makes me sweat and cramp up.
I got to thinking about why people want large quantities of money, but more than that, I got to thinking about why people always have to be doing.
What's the point? I always thought that you made money to get off the treadmill. A lot of people seem to have conditioned themselves to the belief that, if they aren't doing then somehow they are letting the team down. Why bring down $100k+ per annum if it means that you can't take the time to have a decent meal or spend time with your family?
Even when they take a break, these people have a checklist of success - last year we 'did' St. Tropez, this year we're 'doing' the Antilles.
Flashman's stats about commuting got me to thinking about all those people who 'live' in Gippsland, Ballarat or the Central Coast; the ones who work in the city. They think that they've 'won'; they've beaten the rat race, but commute twenty to forty hours a week. The smarmy ones tell you they are winning because they can work on the train. Hello? What else are you going to do? How many of them know their neighbours names? Or what breed of cow they can see on the way to the train (if it's standing close enough to the road to be seen by the headlights). Been fishing lately? Had a beer at the pub with the (real) locals?
I thought not.
I didn't actually read the first one, it was transmitted to me via The Great Square Eye. It was a half hour doco about Stefano DiPieri, one of the very few telly cooks that I wouldn't like to see char-grilled. It appears that Stefano is a member of the slow food movement.
Then, yesterday morning I saw this post on 2 Blowhards. Coupled with a post I saw on Blastradius, I got to thinking, which usually makes me sweat and cramp up.
I got to thinking about why people want large quantities of money, but more than that, I got to thinking about why people always have to be doing.
What's the point? I always thought that you made money to get off the treadmill. A lot of people seem to have conditioned themselves to the belief that, if they aren't doing then somehow they are letting the team down. Why bring down $100k+ per annum if it means that you can't take the time to have a decent meal or spend time with your family?
Even when they take a break, these people have a checklist of success - last year we 'did' St. Tropez, this year we're 'doing' the Antilles.
Flashman's stats about commuting got me to thinking about all those people who 'live' in Gippsland, Ballarat or the Central Coast; the ones who work in the city. They think that they've 'won'; they've beaten the rat race, but commute twenty to forty hours a week. The smarmy ones tell you they are winning because they can work on the train. Hello? What else are you going to do? How many of them know their neighbours names? Or what breed of cow they can see on the way to the train (if it's standing close enough to the road to be seen by the headlights). Been fishing lately? Had a beer at the pub with the (real) locals?
I thought not.
posted by Dirk at 2:46 am
3 Comments:
hmmm beeerrrr
Nice post. Time vs money. That is something I've been pondering myself for sometime now and my solution was to work less ours, get less salary, a lower pension, but lots of time to be with my daughters.
There is no point in saving a lot if tomorrow I may pass away. Let's live while we are still alive.
Jose, couldn't agree more. Two questions, though;
How come your name doesn't link to a profile? and
How do you get the accent over the 'e'?
Post a Comment
<< Home