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Comment by huytersd | Hacker News Reader

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This comes across as a really aggressive comment for no real reason.

A lot of people find too much free time distressing. Even with a lot of projects to pursue, or come up with, it can be difficult to focus on any particular one for the simple fact that the mind can be preoccupied with the constant weighing of opportunity costs, and become stagnant (only now with even more anxiety about opportunity being wasted).

Sometimes people reveal things about themselves because they’re looking for the validation only others commiserating can bring. Unfortunately this often invites needless criticism.

Finding free time undirected by an authority figure as distressing, should in my opinion should be seen as a mental health failure. It is however beneficial to our society, so generally encouraged.

It would be great if everyone could be as comfortable with idle time as you are, but Jesus, why be such a prick about it?

Because that mindset has far reaching consequences in society. It’s worth bringing up.

Friend, there are better ways to say what you're attempting to say without coming off as an overwhelmingly insufferable douche. I think, at least, since hell, I honestly can't even tell what your point is because instead of focusing on clarity, you've instead focused on being mean for the sake of being mean.

After WFH became normalized, the "existential anxiety" dropped away. My mental state is different and I'm happier. I can work-crunch better, but I don't feel bad sitting in an office wasting my life. I'm at home, where I'm happy to sit around and tinker with what I enjoy.

Directing the words “aren’t you ashamed” at any human being for any reason at all that doesn’t involve them having been observed committing what could reasonably be seen as an actual moral crime is proof of a lack of empathy.

Congratulations on being a functioning psychopath… a substantial percentage of self-starters are.

There’s nothing remotely shameful about desiring to have a purpose and a task to which you are, either by self or by other, employed… the only thing that can be shameful is what task you’re set to and how and why you’re set to it. Give me a worker bee laboring every day to feed others over a “self-made” go-getter laboring to own a gold toilet.

It is a bit of a moral crime in my opinion. Pining for an authority to give you purpose and direction is rather damning as an individual or at the very least reveals something about yourself that isn’t respectable.

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