They do say "live a little", and it strikes me now that perhaps I've completely misinterpreted that phrase. For some reason I've always thought it to be a call to live a lot, or at least more.

But now I see that my interpretation is almost opposite of what the words mean... Huh...

It seems like human societies are run by elites who convince the masses to live as little as possible so that the elites can fully enjoy themselves.

Like how during Covid the beaches were closed while the billionaires partied on yachts.