Posted on 07/10/2005 12:14:01 AM PDT by Ultra Sonic 007
The idiot has a bit of a point on this one.
I don't think most people have a problem with those who try untraditional things. I just think we're just sick and tired of those who bitch about how poor they are when the untraditional approach doesn't work for them.
The trick is to meet your responsibilities and still make time for your dreams.
I don't give a rat's behind for "working", but I do enjoy being productive. Sometimes that is consistent with working, sometimes it isn't. Some work is enjoyable in itself, a lot isn't. If the work is not enjoyable in itself, but results in being productive, including maintaining personal health and physical fitness, fine. Otherwise, it is only sensible to avoid it by any legitimate means possible.
Creatively "lazy" people have done the world a whole lot more good than the whole race of "workaholics". The fact that many people waste or abuse the leisure time that has been made possible by "labor saving" improvements is another matter. But any good thing can be abused.
Maybe you love your work, and the emoluments are secondary.
I too thought he had a point, though I didn't care for his clueless 'Gibson-y' bashing. As a single male with no tax exemptions, my tax bill is by far my biggest single expense and it's becoming less and less worth my time to work those last few months of the year in a salaried position.
Case in point No. 2: I have a young and rather brilliant S.O., a specialist in goddesses and mystics and world religions, who is right now working on a book, a raw funky spirituality "anti-guide" for younger women. She took a six-month leave of absence from a very decent, reliable, friendly administrative job so as to focus on the creation of this project.
It depends on the person. Some trust fund babies re-earn their wealth by doing something useful with it. Others just live on it without causing problems to the rest of the world. Some sink into public debauchery, burning through their inheritance showing that they think the work to create it meant nothing (think Paris Hilton).
Then there is the worst group, those who see a higher calling in what they call "public service", but confuse public service with public mastery. They hide their money from taxes through various trusts and being very selective in what state family members "reside" in at death to further avoid taxes, but at the same time complain about others getting tax breaks on their own labor. I'm thinking primarily of the Kennedies. Hopefully it will only take two or three more generations to burn through Joe Kennedy's money and they'll just be a family with a famous name but unable to cause trouble, like being a Roosevelt is today.
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