The Epicurian Organisation |
- I worked for a year on the south coast of England living on a marina village surrounded by expensive houses, motor boats, cars and yachts. I was surrounded by the "toys" and luxuries of the rich elite - those who had made it to the top. As I lived there I never saw the boats move or be used! I asked a friend who replied that they were owned by people working in London (2 hours drive away), but they were only used a few days a year. The owners had so little time to enjoy themselves that these expensive toys remained hardly used! What is the point in having all these toys and then not having the time to use them? In the epicurian world - that I want to create - you would have the time to enjoy the toys and luxuries of your labour. If you are in the position of not having the time to enjoy your wealth then join and support the Epicurian Organisation. As an immediate solution I suggest it cheaper to hire and use for several weeks rather than to own (and not use) all year! By making more time to enjoy yourself you will have taken a step closer to an epicurian lifestyle. - Frequently I hear on the radio, particularly Sunday morning request programmes, that someone is working so hard - or away from home - that they do not have time to spend with the family, to watch their children grow, to spend time with the ones they love. - Frequently I hear of relationships that have collapsed because (usually the man) has been so busy working that he has not spent enough time with his family and partner... Only last week I saw a TV programme that spends a day with a top celebrity. This one was about the woman who runs the UK lottery. She is divorced and lives alone, a major - although perhaps not the sole - reason that she lives alone, and sees her daughter and family so infrequently, is that she works so hard. What kind of success is that? - I have a newspaper article about a Japanese man who could not stand the working pressures that he was under and so committed suicide. This man was working 80 hours a week for an advertising agency. His family took the company to court for "causing his death". The company expected all its employees to work that hard! I am sure that you can think of (and have) your own examples. I would be happy to receive these, especially if they are documented and proven news stories. Here are some that have been sent. So the reality is that even the rich are working such long hours that they no longer have enough time to enjoy family, friends, hobbies and the luxuries of the modern world. Remember, here I am referring to the 'most successful people' in our society. Yes, superficially surrounded by expensive things - "technical toys" - they are happy and have made it; yet the closer we examine their lifestyle, particularly how much time is spent working compared to the amount of time spent enjoying life, let alone their relationships, spirituality, health and happiness, the poorer their life really is. These are the ones who enjoy the 'capitalist dream' or 'the fruits of the modern world' to the utmost; even here life at the top could - and should - be so much better. With an Epicurian Government it will be. As we move down the social and economic ladder, the penalty paid in working harder, longer hours is usually higher, but the wealth decreases. However, the situation of working long hours to the detriment of the important things in life (family, friends, health, hobbies, spirituality, happiness, etc.), is still similar. Meanwhile, the unemployed are told to seek jobs that don't exist and have lots of time yet insufficient wealth to enjoy it. It is absurd for mankind, who has achieved so much scientifically, to have a social structure and lifestyles such as these. It is absurd for people to be working harder and longer, creating more goods than can be sold! We need to work smarter and less, not more and harder. In my experience of Japan, Europe, and the USA, the wealthy and 'middle class', despite their higher wealth, spend so much time working that they do not really enjoy life to the full. In fact most people seem miserable! Yet when I have travelled to poorer countries I have found the people more friendly, helpful, more spiritually complete and generally happier human beings.
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