[SOC]

Right now, I am in the pre-caffeinated stage of my day. My brain is not really working. I am in the fog. But I can hear the fog lifter brewing right now.

I got an email from some lady that is semi-spam. She is representing some website about insurance that I am not going to share, but she had shared an article on this website about the dangers of workaholism. Here are the dangers of workaholism--money, success, and happiness.

Workaholism is not a syndrome or a disease. I don't know who decided that it was. This is the current fucked up state of our society where virtues are turned into vices. The other "vice" is fitness addiction. Trust me, this country is nowhere close to being overly fit and overly worked. We are fat, out of shape, and out of work.

I stay busy. I am 40 years old, and I have explored different philosophies and lifestyles. It all comes back to work. If you want to be happy, commit to working every single day. Fuck vacations. Fuck holidays. Fuck weekends.

The opposite of happiness is boredom. It isn't sadness, depression, anger, or any of that. It is boredom. If you want to see someone bored, go look at some guy fishing off the end of a pier. Or go look at a family cooped up in their vacation condo watching TV. This is boredom. This is what happens when you have a surplus of leisure.

Coffee is ready.

Caffeine is now working its way into my bloodstream and my fucking foggy brain. Where was I?

Work is the answer. Work destroys boredom. Work is the difference between purpose and despair. When you work, your life has meaning. This is because life is ultimately meaningless. When you are bored, this realization hits you. This is why you get sleepy when you are bored. Your brain wants to shutdown and get some rest. It doesn't want to think.

What if you are unemployed? The answer to that is simple. Turn finding a job into a job. Trust me, I have been unemployed before, and I would spend 8-10 hours per day either applying for jobs, interviewing for jobs, or what have you. Thanks to the internet, you can literally apply for a hundred jobs per week. Out of that, someone is going to hire you.

Are you underemployed? Find a second job or keep applying until you find full time work. It is no different than if you were unemployed.

Inevitably, you will find yourself with free time. The best way to fill free time is with more constructive activity. It may be cleaning house, working out at the gym, or banging out the Great American Novel. No matter what, you want to be doing something productive.

Goofing off is what you do in the evening prior to bed. This would be sex with your significant other, hanging out with friends, tossing the ball with the kids, or just watching TV. Then, there is sleep.

First cup down. Second cup.

I can feel the Hum. Beer drinkers get the Buzz. Coffee drinkers get the Hum. The Hum is much better. I suspect smokers get the Hum as well. Of course, some smart ass commenter will talk about "hummers" and Monica Lewinsky.

The dangers of work revolve around two things. The first is burnout. The second is relationships. Curing burnout is easy. Seek variety. Explore new options, realms, careers, or what have you. Burn out is a form of working boredom where you are busy but no longer challenged. The answer is definitely not to stop working. That is stupid.

Relationships are different. I think it is possible to work so much that you neglect your family. But this is rare. The reality is that women and children get bored, and they expect dad to entertain them. When I was a kid, my old man would put my sorry lazy ass to work cutting grass or washing cars when he was home from work while he sat back and popped a few cold ones watching a ball game or NASCAR. It wouldn't have bothered me a bit if he worked seven days a week. Looking back, he did the right thing because kids are lazy. The earlier kids start working the better. I was put to work at age 13, and it made a huge difference in the way I am today.

Just ate breakfast. Caffeine is working. Heading for the shower and work. Have a great fucking day.

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