Life .. I want mine back please...

So..I am giving my 2 weeks notice to my current employer today. I've been struggling with this act for several months now. But I do not see things getting any better there...the direction that the company is going, what they are revealing to us, is somewhat concerning.

I struggle with it because I have worked there for many, many years now. And they have always been very good to me, as far as companies go. But yet, somewhere deep inside, I know that it is counterproductive to my health and well being to stay.

I see the cycle ... and it is not one I wish to be part of. People work a majority of their lives, give the best years of it to a company. If you are lucky you put away a bit of cash for your retirement, but it is not like when my father worked... there is no retirement package for the Average Joe anymore. Best you can hope for is they match your contributions to your 401K. But even that is not good enough to sustain you when you do retire. And most people dip into it at some point during their working years to pay for an unforeseen occurrence in their life.

I've watched as people start to dissipate . Their bodies and minds becoming broken and needing repair..but they still work..because they have to. Because they are caught in the cycle..and can't afford to stop working. So, many of the people I work with have started to wear down from age and the physical demands on their bodies. Mentally, most people I see are on some form of medication. Anti depressants...anxiety runs rampant within the work force now.

I see that you give the best years of your life to a company... and you get little to nothing in return for it. If you are ill, they do help with health insurance and things..but it is not any better to have their coverage than it is to have nothing. You still have high initial deductibles of 4K or more before your insurance kicks in. Yet you are paying higher monthly fees to have this coverage..yet, someone who isn't ill will never meet the deductible each year..there is no need for them to have it. Either way, any life threatening illness will put you in the deep end of the debt cycle..it will become too huge for you to dig your way out of..so, you have to work to pay off those bills as well.

In the end though..what is it that you have really provided to your family? Always the basics..you may have upgraded a bit through the years..a better house, better car, better food..but yet, to do that...you have missed out on a lot of time that you could have shared with those you love..working instead. You have lost your best years in life..planning on retiring and spending time with your loved ones when you are old..when they have grown and no longer need your time and guidance .. you have lost out on those little league baseball games and dance recitals in order to help your family live.. by working..and not living.

Every once in awhile you get a vacation.. which you are able to take with your family each year...but usually that is also debt incurred. A nice little bill you place on your credit card and have to work to pay off. The time is valuable, but it is gonna cost ya. And, in the end, you have not gained anything more in this life than if you worked a part time job and lived simply. Matter of fact, doing the latter you gain a lot more. .. you get your best years back.


I am sharing this not to change anyone's position or stance..not to argue or debate.. for me it is not a debatable subject..it is the reality I have observed in everyday people's lives. I see it daily within my store...the ones who come to get medication, the ones who are on leave of absence because they are broken in some way, shape, or form. The people I talk to who tell me they have spent everything... their whole life savings... because some unforeseen circumstance has happened in their lives.

I myself will never be without work..I have worked all my life and I know no other way. But, I can start to minimize my work time and start to live..instead of sending the majority of my life working to pay..working to pay..working to pay..I can spend the majority of my time working to live...which is how it should be really.

In short..I don't want to be like those people I see every day. I don't want to work the daily grind all my life just to make ends meet and find out in the end ..it was never worth it...I lost something far more valuable then that shiny new car or those new Prada shoes.. I've lost living...it just is more scary to me then the thought of having nothing.

So...there will be those that don't see it and disagree.. that's ok. I understand where you are coming from..I've lived that life too. Go out and be who you are..make a difference..explore that life. It is what I have done for many, many years. But for those who feel it..those who understand what I am saying..this is for you..to let you know that you are not alone. and maybe to understand what it is a bit more that you are feeling.

That's my rant.. I put it here because...currently .. this is the way I view things. There are lots of links and evidence to support this stuff..it is not just my words..but I am not gonna link them. Those who seek to understand will look on their own..those who don't..they won't..

Thanks for reading.. I hope your life is full of living!
blend57

Good luck on whatever else you might find to do and happiness in life.

Break those chains!

originally posted by: blend57

I myself will never be without work..I have worked all my life and I know no other way. But, I can start to minimize my work time and start to live..instead of sending the majority of my life working to pay..working to pay..working to pay..I can spend the majority of my time working to live...which is how it should be really.

In short..I don't want to be like those people I see every day. I don't want to work the daily grind all my life just to make ends meet and find out in the end ..it was never worth it...I lost something far more valuable then that shiny new car or those new Prada shoes.. I've lost living...it just is more scary to me then the thought of having nothing.

So...there will be those that don't see it and disagree.. that's ok. I understand where you are coming from..I've lived that life too. Go out and be who you are..make a difference..explore that life. It is what I have done for many, many years. But for those who feel it..those who understand what I am saying..this is for you..to let you know that you are not alone. and maybe to understand what it is a bit more that you are feeling.

That's my rant.. I put it here because...currently .. this is the way I view things. There are lots of links and evidence to support this stuff..it is not just my words..but I am not gonna link them. Those who seek to understand will look on their own..those who don't..they won't..

Thanks for reading.. I hope your life is full of living!
blend57

Hey brother bend. I understand your sentiments exactly. However, depending on ones' circumstances, they may not have as many choices as you or I have.

But your eloquente discussion is not really a 'rant' IMHO....it is logical, real and is happening every day. God Bless those with options and choices, and an upper management executive, I saw the real crime, the number crunching to reduce liabilities or the residuals. So we, ALL of have got to make difficult choices.

Do we stay, do we go or do we wait until the pink slip comes. Sorry for the bluntness. But, an intelligent individual such as yourself has seen the writing on the walls for some time. SO, WE ALL need to take responsibility for ourselves...and rely on no one and no company. There is no more loyalty.

Time for ALL of us to take inventory of ourselves.....and put ourselves in a position of respect, trust but all the while keeping your eyes and ears wide open.

Sorry for the run on reply. Good thread.

Peace and Love

Don't let the man keep you down

a reply to: blend57

That is refreshing to read. Keep the t.v. in the "off" position, better yet unplug the machine and take back some of the negative ions floating about, get back 'in balance' and I bet Your health will drastically improve.

If I were single I'd move to Uruguay but I'm not so I live in Flori-Duh where it is less expensive to Live. I've been retired for 12 years now and if I had stayed in Ca. I'd still be working.

Also be fore warned, "They" (The $$$ extractors will find You dissenting and will look for ways to separate You from Your $$$) When I was on 7 rx. meds I had a $20 co-pay. Now after My own personal 'epiphany' I now have $1207/month deducted from My police retirement for "Affordable Healthcare"..

I haven't had a cellphone for 14 years and haven't missed a call.. So once You get Your "wants vs. needs" settled it is all downhill w/the wind at Your back...


Would You rather die with $1M in debt or $1M in the bank?

It's the whole package.... the house, the car, the furnishings, the clothes, the boat and vacations, all that is included in the whole package. By you simply dropping out of the work/job part of it, the rest still remains. You have not escaped the "Company" only the wage earning part of it. To truly escape it all, you would become a Vagabond, traveling, accountable to no one. No one includes friends and family. Becoming a free spirit.

I suggest you are in an inescapable cycle which you have come to despise. But it's not solely you, the whole game is rigged to servitude until you can no longer contribute........ then you are retired/cast off. Once you understand and realize you don't need that "Pravda" thing, and live simply, the cycle will cease to continue. A time comes when you owe no one, rather no one that matters like your kids and grandkids and also friends, where the time is present to seize and go and do what you want.

Possessions, who really owns them, or do they own you.. that is for you to decide. The trick is to never find yourself wishing for what you could-of done, but rather own time spent telling of your adventures.

thenightisours

To live...it should not be a choice..it should be a given. Life should not be about whether you pay the light bill or the phone bill this month...but for some it is.... this is the reality of today's world though. Tough choices..and to depend on someone else is not my nature...But, I am willing to give up some luxuries (material) in order to gain some luxuries (personal freedom) .. for me it is not a hard decision to make. ..but it can be for many others..I guess it is all about where you are in life and what you've seen..what's had an impact on you..

I will be fine.. I might not be flying off to the Bahama's whenever I wish.. but I will be spending at least some of my time doing what I wish to do..and living a bit before it is too late for me to do so..

Thanks to all who responded .. and thanks for the support.. as I said.. it was a very tough decision.

Thanks,
blend57

I'm with ya. Just make sure you keep your head above water. There's more than one way to 'burn out' ... and you're too eloquent a'poster to lose.

Just a PM away if you ever need to chat.

And no these are not empty words, I have done it, am doing it, though I have access to certain amenities. In 06 I left on a journey that would take me cross country, with only my van and bike. I live in my own Mecca now..... 'figuratively' not islum

a reply to: blend57

I wanted to say something all Plato or Matrixy red pill, but words fail me this morning.

Life .. I want mine back please...

Its not lost, its a new beginning.

a reply to: blend57

Peace Brother. It will all come together for you......as my slogan says "....There's no place you can be which isn't where you are meant to be...."

JimNasium

$1Mil...sounds good..but that is really just paper..or a few pixels on a screen..either a negative sign or positive sign in front of it doesn't matter much..really..it really doesn't. It only takes a key stroke to change that negative/positive sign...
and doesn't matter much when I am sitting in a bed dying..I won't be looking at my finances hopefully.. I will be looking at the faces of the people who loved me..and that tells me that being an active part of their lives is more important then those little pixels on a screen...

Am I wanting to incur that much debt? Nope..I am still planning to contribute to society..still planning to work.
I am gonna stumble a bit..I know this. But I might live a bit too..and that thought..to live a bit... outweighs the first one.

Thanks for the comment and the heads up..I know some way or another all monies will be added back into the collective..is how it works. It's ok though..I hope to gain more than money can offer me..and be more than any pixel or piece of paper can make me..hopefully that makes some since..

thanks,
blend57

People forget that they live only once!

They sell hours of their lifetime for very low cash.
Here in germany the minimum wage is 8,83Euro.
So now imagine a person that has to die in 12 hours(No pain, he feels fine). You ask him for how much he would sell you one of his last hours. Would he sell you one for 8,83?

So why should one hour of my lifetime only be 8,83 when i am younger and fitter? While someone else gets 15-20 Euros for the hours of my life that I! spend to work for someone others profits.

I am happy that i never lived such a life. I can´t imagine to wake up in the morning knowing that the rest of my life will be working, working, working, same sh*t every day. No time for family and friends, no time for own interests, hobbies. Just a head full of problems because of jobs, the fear to become unemployed.

People become born to live their lives, and for that they have to work.
Nowadays you become born, conditioned from the beginning of ones childhood to become a working robot, a drone, a slave that doesn´t feel and see it´s chains. When does kindergarten or school start in the morning? At around eight in the morning. Nowadays we know that kids learn almost nothing before 10 in the morning, but that doesn´t matter. They have to be conditioned to the times the later have to start their work at.

Then most people make one, the biggest mistake they can do. They have a job and take a credit from those banksters, because they think:
I have a job and can pay the debts back easily. And all the others drive cars now and those cars are paid by credits too. That´s the moment when the "devil" grabs your balls and just has to to squeeze a lil bit, if you don´t work as it is demanded from slaves.

It`s the debts that make you a slave. No debts, no basis for blackmailing people. Nobody can blackmail you because of your job.

You wanna fire me because i told you what i think of you and your corporation, Boss?
I don´t give a f***!
Because everything i own is MINE, and not the banksters stuff!
I only own things i can pay for!
I don´t have debts anywhere, so i don´t need your wage slave job. Because i am NOT in that cycle!

I have to admit that i have no childs. Would maybe have some if i could show them the world as it is now, before they become born. So they could choose if they want to live in such a world.
But that´s impossible and i think it´s kind of unfair to set someone, unasked, into the world like it is today.
And it´s because of money too, for sure. You can have three jobs nowadays and the money is not enough to pay the rent, to eat and drink, to pay for energy, water and all that.

People should start to ask themselves how much one hour of their life is worth for them!
And if it wouldn´t be maybe more worth to spend an hour with the family than just to work for next to nothing.
Or just using the time for own interests.
Use your lifetime to live your life, not to work for profits of others that never will be thankful for it!

originally posted by: blend57
and doesn't matter much when I am sitting in a bed dying..I won't be looking at my finances hopefully.. I will be looking at the faces of the people who loved me..and that tells me that being an active part of their lives is more important then those little pixels on a screen...

My Dad retired about a year before I did. Over time, he took off for the coast, built a house on the beach, lived alone (because nobody could afford to take the time to visit) and died on the hallway floor. We didn't get the chance to say goodbye.

a reply to: blend57

I will be fine.. I might not be flying off to the Bahama's whenever I wish.. but I will be spending at least some of my time doing what I wish to do..and living a bit before it is too late for me to do so..

It takes real courage to make this decision.

20 years ago I made the decision to walk in the sun rather than join the commuter frenzy. No regets!

a reply to: blend57

That is the funny thing about $$$ Once You turn Your back on it, it'll appear... I've got more now than I could spend in 3 Lifetimes..

"Time" is Your most valuable asset; spend it wisely.

Don't be too surprised if different folks start to appear and seem to be more than willing to offer a hand. This will be You helping You.

namaste

P.S. Enjoy Your trip! and stay hydrated...

a reply to: blend57

The whole purpose in life is to find happiness, and you can't do that if what you do makes you unhappy,
do what you need to do to be happy.

originally posted by: Darkblade71
a reply to: blend57

The whole purpose in life is to find happiness, and you can't do that if what you do makes you unhappy,
do what you need to do to be happy.

Really, basically, you just nailed it perfectly and succinctly. There is no place you need to be if you are not happy....it has a huge impact on your health and holistic well being. Nice post

a reply to: blend57

Good for you blend57! Congratulations! Quoting you here: "So...there will be those that don't see it and disagree.. that's ok. I understand where you are coming from..I've lived that life too. Go out and be who you are..make a difference..explore that life."

*Something to think about:

I once met a monk at a roadside orange stand. He was standing there putting this one and that one into his bag. I casually spoke to him saying "Good mornin' sir. Picking the best ones, I see?" He looked at me, said nothing and smiled.

After paying for them and about to leave, he stopped, turned around to me still smiling and said "When you asked friend if I was checking for the best fruit to buy...I saw this as an opportunity for you to better understand. I wasnt looking for the best oranges...they were ALL oranges. There are really no better ones, they are all the same. Some are just farther along in their development. Thats all. All of them...every one...are oranges!" He continued...

"When I was young, I traveled the world from place to place, asking priest to rabbi, minister to iman what the meaning of life is, but I got no satisfactory answer. One day, I heard of and climbed a mountain to seek a great man-a meditator who lived alone at the top. As I reached the top, he was there, eyes closed in meditation. He slowly opened one eye...and I asked him...

"I have searched the world over, wise-man to woman, different religions to belief systems. Can YOU tell me the meaning of life?" At this, he slowly opened his other eye and began to laugh. I suddenly felt silly for asking...then he spoke.

"My friend... as you say...youve just spent a great amount of time in your life searching for it's meaning...when all along...you WERE doing it! For the meaning of life is just this: To LIVE!"

blend57? Don't spend your life looking for it. Live it...it's all around you. Just an orange farther along or not...in development. Best of luck to you as you reclaim yourself!!!

Send us a card or two along your journey...for it is uniquely yours alone! Peace and love to you!

Mysterioustranger