h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: Work, am I alone here? - A4467530
Author: DrDukeGonzo - U1712539

I hope that people are able to relate with me on this.

I just got signed up to the site and there's a question i've been wanting to ask many people, and hope for a few replies from the open minded masses. My question is it is just me, or does the concept of "Working life" not seem right to anyone else other than me?

I apologise if this sounds like a rant by the way, but this is just an oppinion

Let's just think about the pros and cons (as i've had a lot of time to think about this), granted, working life is a way to get by, you earn a living by going to work everyday, having weekends off IF you find the right job, working organised rota's etc, etc...and granted it is a smooth process, BUT whenever i'm asked "Why do you want this job?" I answer with some mindless jargon that i'm now used to spilling out, "I see it as a good opertunity to gain experience in this field of work and Blah Blah Blah". The truth is I don't care, I just wanna get paid and this is the only option available to be right now.

Working is also a good way to give back to society, work can be dependant of you class/income, material possetions and which holidays you can afford, BUT I don't care about classes, you could wear a full Armarni suit of a pair of tattered jeans and a wooly jumper (Me) and I'd still talk to you, if you're a good person then status does matter, it's not about what you wear or the job you have, we're all of the same race. BUT, when you work you are forced into the jobs availble to you, you can never give back to society in you OWN way, by helping the environment, being creative and sharing within a community, it's by someone else's rules. Unless you enjoy working life and if you do then you have a very speical gift, but I am just not comfortable with it.

I hate every element of work, (this is the rant), I usually work 8 hours per day, 5 days a week, BUT i found a new job and moved in my girlfried and the job i got didn't mention that "By the way, as if you didn't work enough we're gonna make you do 9 hours per day", i know it's only an extra hour but dammit, THAT MOUNT'S UP! And I do have better things to do. I', afriad to express these oppinions 'cos when I tried I kinda got a "We all happy, we enjoy it, ONE OF US, ONE OF US!".
But I just don't understand, we're humans, everyone on this planet should be free, YES TOTALLY FREE, to do what they like without having to "make ends meet" without a crummy job that nobody wants and just...Be allowed to live, it doesn't sound crazy does it? It pains me to wake up in the morning everyday and leave my beautiful girlfriend in bed and have to spend days on end alone doing housework that I should be doing during the day, if ya follow? Also, love is a very strong bond and it's hard being at work knowing that a loved one is sat, bored on their own during their summer holiday at university, it's a painfully numbing feeling.

I'll not go on 'cos i'd be here all day, but basically long story short. Am I alone here? Is everybody REALLY plugged into the Matrix? Does anyone else believe that there's a better way? Is anyone with me on this?

(I'm new, i think i got that wrong)

Hello Dr. Gonzo. I read your short story with some interest.
I'm going over to your personal space to leave a message for you about the possibility of moving your entry to the "Alternative Writing Workshop" or "Ask the H2G2 Community".

I like HST stuff too

- Phred

That means a lot, before it get's transferred i'd like to changed it, there are one or two more details i'll add now it's being noticed, i find it's an uncomfortable subject to talk to people about and I'm tired of biting my tongue.

HST is excellent!

While I certainly sympathise with some of the points in the entry, it isn't suitable for Peer Review (a place for factual entrys, not writen in the first person). Can you please remove it by following this link --> PeerReview <-- and pressing the X button next to your entry at the bottom of the page.

When you've done that then I suggest that you go to <./>AskH2G2</.> and ask the question there.

Well, I've got a book called 'Panjamon' which is Borneo-ese for 'headhunter'. It's about an itinerant French zoologist who wanted to study a particular type of monkey which occurs in Borneo. Basically, he 'hitch-hiked' his way from France to Borneo. Whilst there he integrated himself with a tribe of headhunters, and became very '[friendly' with the Chief's daughter. In the meantime he had unwittingly made an enemy of the witch doctor because he (GFrench zoologist) had more powerful medicine in the form of quinine etc. So the WD made several attempts to kill him.

In the meantime the Chief had asked him on 3 separate occasions what his feelings towards his daughter were, and each time he ansered ever more extravagantly (e.g. I think she is very pretty; I trhink she is extremely beautiful; I think she is the most beautiful girl I have ever mer).

Anyweay, came the time when the zoologist decisded it was 'unhealthy' to hang around with this tribe and informed the Chief of his decision to leave. 5he Chief said that it would be a pity to leave before the wedding. At this, the zoologist ears pricked up, "Wedding? Who's getting married?" He was thinking it would be quite interesting from an athropological viewpoint to witness a headhunter's wedding ceremony.

The Chief replied, "You! You're marrying my daughter,. Apparently a thrice stated statement of the beauty of a girl is tantamount to a marriage proposal!

Anyway, I digress. The whole point of this discourse is to say that, in this tribe, the women did all the work, tilling the fields etc even with babies strapped to their backs. The men spent their time sat on the floor of their stilted huts (stilted to prevent rat infestation) having 'tribal politics' meetings, whilst drinking a concoction rather like saki (Japanese rice wine - very potent). Now and again somebody would vomit through over-indulgence but it didn't matter as it just trickled down through the slats of the floor to be consumed by the pigs which were foraging below.

To me this seems an almost idyllic existence; THE WOMEN WORKING/PRODUCING THE FOOD, WHILST THE MEN LOUNGE AROUND HAVING TRIBAL POLITICS MEETINGS AND DRINKING ALCOHOL. for shouting).

Now and again the men did go out hunting for a wild boar, the meat of which would last for a month or so before they had to trouble themselves again.

Therein lies the nub. The reason for working is to earn money to buy food. If we didn't do this, we would have to catch our own prey and grow our own fruit and vegetables - or have a skill through which we could procurefood by exchange and barter.

Somewhere along the line, I can't help feeling that 21st Century western 'civilised' Man has made a rod for his own back.

That's a good point, but could also be following on what I mean. Tribes of head hunters and any other tribe are self dependant, they hunt for themselves, they fend for themselves, whereas in western civilization it all seems to be material dependancy, as these products are readily available a lot of people are taking it for granted, and because of the people running the country they exploit these tribes and communities with taxes and what not for the tribes produce. What some people don't realise is that tribes are living with nature, respecting the Earth and trying to preserve it, whereas we are just exploiting the Earth (On the subject I recommend Fair Trade coffee as the profit goes straight to the growers, just recommending, if ya follow?).

What makes me think is if the people in these tribes had an open choice to live in a western community, would they really want to live like the "white man", or would they choose their original way of life?

However, these people do deserve much more, I work for a mobile phone insurance company, and as you may have picked up, I think it sucks! The money we make here in a week in total profits would end a lot of the poverty and grief in third world countries, but the rich "white men" are just to greedy and corrupt with power to share the wealth, and this leads on to what Bill Hicks said, "If we took all the money we spend on guns and nuclear weapons and military and gave it to the poorer countries we could feed everyone on the planet for a life time, bar not one! We could all live in peace together and explore space, TOGETHER for years to come!". This sounds like a good prophecy, and who would disagree, I wouldn't, but some people would, and these people are the ones who seems to be in power, too hell bent on causing mayhem and killing fellow man. These KIDS with their big guns and pressed suits are oblivious to what's going on in the REAL WORLD, do you know of any world leaders in this modern world who could just act their age? (I mean no offence, this is just an oppinion and the floor is open to debate, if you disagree, let me know and I'll happily discuss in polite conversation).

To some these ideas may seem ludacris, but as Bill Hicks also said, quoting John Lennon, "F*****g dreamer man!....But I'm not the only one."

I don't want to give the impression that I'm just being whiney, all this is just thought and oppinion and I'm not intending to drag anyone down.