Yes, work CAN be fulfilling and exciting. I know what its like to look forward to going to work in the morning and tackling a challenging problem. I know what its like to wake up in the middle of the night with an idea and rushing out to drive 5 miles in the snow to the lab because you can't wait to try it out.

But most of the time its drudgery, its indentured servitude, its just short of slavery. You're busting your butt and ruining your mental, physical and emotional health to pay for your boss's kid's private school tuitions and mortgage payments because its the only way you can pay your rent and feed your family.

And I'm one of the lucky ones, I have usually worked in a field where I have the training and the interest to enjoy my work and the opportunity to be good at it. The vast majority of workers can't even count on that! And I don't have to tell you the situation isn't getting any better, its only getting worse. I'm a Boomer. I was born in the sweet spot. Talk to the youngsters out there who are sucking canal water right now.

Hey, don't get me wrong, I don't expect a free ride or government charity, I'm willing to pull my share and earn my salt, but spare me the entrepreneurial cheerleading, OK? There is a very good reason its called 'work'.

Oh, sure, if you really enjoy running a business and living off the labor and talent of others it can be quite self-actualizing. But I, and I believe most others, would rather do something they love than merely supervise a machine that generates profit. The average worker is capable of putting great effort and talent into his hobbies, of producing a thing of beauty and elegance, but the guy who enjoys being general rarely considers HIS hobby involves getting the infantry maimed and killed by the thousands. Yeah, I know someone has to do it, and I know everyone can't, but that doesn't require we all have to wax poetic about how wonderful it is that the world is organized that way.

I worked non-stop from 1971 to 2010, most of the time at jobs I was well trained for and in fields were I commanded some respect and satisfaction for my expertise. For the most part, I was treated well by my employers and I was prosperous, I thrived. But it wasn't til after I retired that I realized what a degrading and soul-killing business it all was. It wasn't because the bosses were villains, its because when you aren't working for yourself, you are working for someone else. Its that simple. My retirement years have been a blessing to me, my health, mental and physical, has thrived, my family relations flourished and my entire outlook on life has finally settled down. I am happy now, I wasn't before.

And I didn't even fully realize it while it was happening. And I don't think you'll realize it until AI takes over your job and you come to understand that the Captains of Industry don't give a flying fuck about you, your family, or your self-actualization.