Just working a job to make money

Ethics
1

Is there really anything wrong with just working an easy job to make money while you pursue your interests?

For instance, Jujimufu, a trickster and bodybuilder, deliberately got an easy job so that he could have plenty of time and less stress for his leisure pursuits: tricking and bodybuilding. This is the kind of life that makes him happy. He made enough money to support himself, but his work was not his life. He took steps to make his work even easier so that he had plenty of time to go to the gym in the middle of the day. He got all his work done, and he never asked for a raise, so his boss loved him. His leisure pursuits take real commitment and he gets actual joy from them, but they aren’t productive. They don’t produce anything of value except to him. He enjoys doing flips and showing off.  He enjoys having a big muscular body and lifting weights. He’s living a life that he enjoys. How could anyone say that he is not being productive, or that he’s being self destructive?

2

5 hours ago, Nerian said:

Is there really anything wrong with just working an easy job to make money while you pursue your interests?

I can’t see anything wrong with that. Of course, any choice may be the wrong choice if one begins to explore the details and the alternatives available; but – at this abstract level – I can’t see anything wrong with it. Do you see some downside to it?

3

On 12/11/2017 at 8:38 PM, Nerian said:

Is there really anything wrong with just working an easy job to make money while you pursue your interests?

Not necessarily, but you run the risk of holding money-making as an end which justifies the means. If it doesn’t matter which “easy” job gets you money, then why not be a prostitute or drug dealer? My point is that besides “easy”, it should also be a job in which you can take some personal pride.

There are also other factors to consider, such as whether you can improve your skills and make yourself more valuable on the open market. It might be possible to work even less hours for greater amounts of money, thus opening up more free time for other interests. So it’s important to not get stuck in the mindset where you don’t care about raises or making more money, because making more money per hour is how you can free up more of your time for play.

On 12/11/2017 at 8:38 PM, Nerian said:

How could anyone say that he is not being productive, or that he’s being self destructive?

Maybe he’s focusing too much on his body and not enough on his mind. It depends on why he’s so obsessed with bodybuilding and taking supplements. Is he addicted to supplements? Does he have a self-image problem? What happens when he gets old and can’t maintain his physical routine?

4

There’s no dichotomy between an easy job and a productive one. Quite the opposite: the more productive you are, the more concerned your employer is with making you comfortable and keeping you on a convenient schedule.

Which means there’s also no dichotomy between making your career a priority, and living the kind of life you wish to live. On the contrary, the sooner you realize that the reason for your comfortable, convenient life style is that you are productive at work, the sooner you are able to make objective choices that keep you in full control of the way you live your life.

5

On 12/12/2017 at 6:38 AM, Nerian said:

For instance, Jujimufu, a trickster and bodybuilder, deliberately got an easy job so that he could have plenty of time and less stress for his leisure pursuits: tricking and bodybuilding. This is the kind of life that makes him happy.

Happiness can be a trap. Happy people often assume that the world stands still, and that, as long as they are able to lock themselves into their current circumstances, that guarantees them an entire lifetime of happiness.But, instead, what happens is that they build themselves a happy little cage, and when it turns unhappy (because people change, what makes them happy today won’t necessarily make them happy ten or twenty years from now), they’re not able to break out of it. It’s such a common pattern, with so many people, both professionally and personally…whether it’s getting stuck in a job or in a relationship they stopped putting effort into.

You can’t be content with what you have: you have to keep improving it, and adjusting your goals, or it will sour, because, again: the world doesn’t stand still, it’s in constant motion. You have to move with it. 

That’s what this attitude will accomplish, for this guy. When you put a cap on your productivity, you put a cap on your entire life. You deprive yourself of the means to shape your life in a way that keeps you happy, as you change over time.

You can’t live a happy life without ambition. Just because you’ve achieved something that makes you happy now, doesn’t mean you can stop dreaming, and working hard to achieve your new dreams. If you stop trying to progress because you’re happy, it’s not gonna last.

6

I don’t think it’s always possible to have a complete integration between our productivity and true pursuits.  Plenty of artists take less-stressful jobs to pursue their art, and get spiritual fulfillment and productive in that realm, while maintaining their material values with a working job.  It’s interesting that a bodybuilder did this.  I’ve recently learned Rucka Rucka Ali is a Youtuber, an Objectivist, and currently works a 9-5.

I don’t see anything wrong with taking a less stressful job in order to have other pursuits.  Having an integration between the two is the goal, but in how our economy is setup, that might not always be possible.  Being productive doesn’t always mean making money at it, as long as they are providing for themselves and aren’t dependent on others for their material values, a person could still live and lead a fulfilling life working a job for money and pursue other productive interests.