
Quitting the Paint Factory (2004) - tommoor
http://www.molvray.com/ebooks/Quitting_the_Paint_Factory_Mark_Slouka.html
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mjfl
If you like idleness then be idle, just don't expect the same rewards as the
productive. Also, if everyone had the same thought process as the author, the
world would be a worse place in ways the author could not possibly foresee.
But what if they could see it live? "This village of African children starved
to death because the farmers lowered their yields by 50% for a more manageable
lifestyle" "This person died of a heart attack because this cardiologist
prefers a strict 9-5, and didn't have the energy for the attention to detail
to foresee the calamity". "+50% car crash fatalities because rigorous testing
puts too much strain on engineers". I wonder if the author would be
embarassed, or even ashamed.

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AstralStorm
Did you prefer the converse headline "patient killed due to tired doctor",
"bridge failure as workers installed supports badly", "power plant explodes as
inspector missed system warning" etc.

We're on that side of the balance right now and not the other.

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mjfl
I don't consider rest for optimal work "idleness", in fact that's a big part
of productive work. I think there's a huge difference between getting a full 8
hours of sleep and what the author is suggesting in the article, but maybe
that's just me.

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baseten
I find it a little ironic the way W has slowed, softened and become more
contemplative and introspective with the still life paintings and whatnot.
Sort of counter to the narrative in the piece all these years later.

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mehwoot
_I recognize that work of one sort or another is as essential to survival as
protein... I have compassion for those making the most of their commute and
their cubicle; I just wish they could be a little less cheerful about it._

In one paragraph work is described as necessary, and then complains that
people are happy doing it? How dare we be content with our lives?...

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kmill
I think the point is that most commute+cubicle work isn't usually work which
is essential to survival. The call to be a little less cheerful is a call for
everyone to see through the illusion that commute+cubicle is meaningful,
essential work. We might find a greater contentment if we aren't filling what
could be idle time with nonessential work.

