RE: Having a life

James D. Wilson (netsurf@sersol.com)
Mon, 28 Jun 1999 19:46:54 -1000

What if your life is your work and you are having a really good time doing it and getting well paid for the same? When I was 14 I fell in love with a 360/40 and since then my life is finding ways to play with toys other people have bought and will pay me to install/maintain/enhance. I do it about 14 hours a day x 7 x 365 and love every minute of it. Some people tell me I need to get a life, but the way I see it, I already do, people just happen to pay me (quite well) to do it.

-
James D. Wilson, CCDA, MCP(NT)
"non sunt multiplicanda entia praeter necessitatem" William of Ockham (1285-1347/49)

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-extropians@extropy.com
[mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.com]On Behalf Of hal@finney.org Sent: Sunday, June 27, 1999 10:38 AM
To: extropians@extropy.com
Subject: Re: Having a life

Eliezer S. Yudkowsky, <sentience@pobox.com>, writes:
> I don't have a life. I have a job.
> [...]
> But I will take out a few seconds to decry this cultural imperative
that
> says you need to have a life. I *need* what I *decide* I need. If
I
> decide that my life doesn't need any fun in it, not even the
smallest
> second, then I don't see why anyone has the right to tell me
otherwise,
> any more than they have the right to tell me to live for their
church or
> their cult.

I completely agree that you have the right to live your life as you choose.
Nevertheless I think there is more to the "get a life" advice than you are giving credit.