I assume you are saying that his work was easier in some sense, but what about the benefits that accrued from that work and the life environment in general?
His work wasn't objectively easier - he worked hard but on his own schedule. To be fair, I am measuring quality of life by what's important to me (rather than any standard metric), but there is a fair bit of overlap. The only weak point was healthcare which has since improved but a healthy lifestyle meant he never needed to visit hospitals.
All things considered, I would rather be him than an Amazon warehouse worker.