The USA is really large, similar to the old story about blind men encountering an elephant and having ridiculous observations about elephants based on their very limited experience of elephants. Likewise work work work is a coastie thing specifically the worst infection is in New England although its getting worse out west.
Away from the coasts nobody is looked down on for joining the military for a couple years or the peace corps or going for missionary or volunteer work. Go find yourself, go work off some energy, come back calm and ready to settle down. On the coasts, people who do stuff like that are hated, reviled, made fun of.
The US you describe doesn't exist. Military is acceptable work, peace corps, that's only something rich people who don't need to do real work do. Your coasts are pretty small too because outside of a few major cities, the highest calling you can answer in the US is killing brown people for your country, yes, even in New England.
Hell, I'm looked down at by my in-laws because IT isn't 'real work.'
Choose to try to learn how to play an instrument, or some other artistic endeavor and the first thing everyone will ask you is 'how do you plan to make money with that?' You'll get a lot of 'that's nice dear, but how do you intend to live.' You will be met with nothing but condescension because you are not perusing work. Stick with not working and you'll be 'that weirdo down the street.'
> ready to settle down
And work like an adult because you're not an adult and worthy of being treated like one until you work.
People pay lip service to letting people expand their horizons and bettering themselves right before they tell you to get back to work.
Simply because I said the US is an example of one way does not mean other country is an example of the other, which is what the OP I was responding to was talking about. The US is just one of the worst examples of your worth being tied to your work.