| > The purpose of consumption for most people is to soothe the pain of working. Yes, for a lot of people it is like this. When I was young, I couldn't understand why people went on 1-2 week short, extremely expensive vacations where they blow multiple months worth of their savings (ie. multiple months of their income after expensives) in what is extremely short amount of time. It seemed mind-bogglingly stupid. Now I understand. Being part of the system and doing 9-to-5 wageslavery is inescapable fact of their life. So when they get 2 weeks off - 2 weeks to actually go and live freely, they just go all out on having a good time. Because no matter what - they are going back to 9-to-5 system. And however wastefully they "consume" whatever is left after basic expenses, doesn't really matter in grand scheme of things and won't free them from slavery. It's a distraction. "Whatever hours of free time I get after work, I'm gonna indulge consoom however I want" Now software engineers are a bit different, where it's possible to retire after 10 years of work if you plan and live frugally, this is simply not an option for vast majority of people. |