Are we working to live, or living to work?

[Inwestour]

We are busy working to meet our living expenses, while the currency we receive as salaries is losing value. In some cases, the price increases are so high that there is no balance between the amount of income we receive. This becomes even more difficult during times of inflation, as I see some basic necessities rising so much, and most people struggle to keep up. We spend more time working, but our salaries are still insufficient to meet our needs.

This isn't about differing standards of living; in general, almost everyone is feeling the impact of this problem. I am well aware of how people who own businesses are also struggling in a difficult economy, and how people who simply work for someone else. Finding a solution to this problem is almost impossible because we don't have a foundation for what actually needs to be addressed first.

Everything in our life is structured so that we grow up, study, find a job, and earn just enough to cover basic needs. This is how the system is built, and if you follow its rules, you will live this way your whole life as an obedient citizen. This is the path most people choose. But I never liked the idea of working my entire life just for money, and I was always interested in investing. Compound interest fascinated me, it is far more attractive and gives hope that you can become financially independent.

[icebar]

-snip-
In times like this, some turn to Bitcoin and other decentralized assets as a hedge, not just against inflation, but against a system that seems built to make people dependent.

So the question remains: are we really working to live… or just living to work?

Some people are willing to work overtime to cover their monthly expenses, but in reality, this doesn't allow them to live carefree. The global economy is currently in turmoil, and inflation is rampant, causing the prices of basic necessities to continue to rise. Many ordinary people are suffering financially, even though they work around the clock, but this doesn't bring any change or growth to their finances.
That's what happens when we live completely dependent on the government, leaving ordinary people with no way to escape the miserable cycle we're currently experiencing.

This world's economic system is designed to deceive the common people. It is not possible for us to get out of it in any way, but we can only keep our wealth safe through Bitcoin holding from the absurd policies of the global economy where people are losing the value of their money day after day. Still, many common people are afraid to hold Bitcoin as an asset and do not believe it. this is their lack of knowledge. We should create wealth where we have our own freedom. In addition to investing in Bitcoin, gold can also be bought if someone wants diversification of wealth.

[lizarder]

Everything in our life is structured so that we grow up, study, find a job, and earn just enough to cover basic needs. This is how the system is built, and if you follow its rules, you will live this way your whole life as an obedient citizen. This is the path most people choose. But I never liked the idea of working my entire life just for money, and I was always interested in investing. Compound interest fascinated me, it is far more attractive and gives hope that you can become financially independent.

Structured and well-planned because this is the foundation when someone wants to achieve success, and without the support of proper preparation, it will be difficult for us to achieve success. We have a target of working until a certain age, after which we will stop working to live a normal life, such as increasing our religious devotion and continuing to enjoy a well-planned and fulfilling old age. We can achieve this if we prepare thoroughly at a young age because we have the goal of retiring from work to live a good life.

Preparing retirement funds and investing them in more productive ways can help us achieve a better life in old age, so we need to prepare everything well from now on. That is the reason why we need to work harder to prepare for a better old age because at that age working is no longer productive and we are better off enjoying our old age by getting closer to the creator.

[Jostern]

You might actually be right in both ways, life can always throw different things at you but it all depends how you are able to control this situations, there are people who are working to live and there are also people who are living to work, because that is the only way that they are able to make a living for themselves, and if you don’t work you will not eat, you will have to do something to put food on your table, which is why everything can be considered as survival because you have to do something to eat and survive and pay your bills and also take care of your needs, there is always expenses everyday and you have to try and make money and do a job which is working for your living, so I must say that either way you’re absolutely correct.

[BlackBaron]

We are busy working to meet our living expenses, while the currency we receive as salaries is losing value. In some cases, the price increases are so high that there is no balance between the amount of income we receive. This becomes even more difficult during times of inflation, as I see some basic necessities rising so much, and most people struggle to keep up. We spend more time working, but our salaries are still insufficient to meet our needs.

This isn't about differing standards of living; in general, almost everyone is feeling the impact of this problem. I am well aware of how people who own businesses are also struggling in a difficult economy, and how people who simply work for someone else. Finding a solution to this problem is almost impossible because we don't have a foundation for what actually needs to be addressed first.

Everything in our life is structured so that we grow up, study, find a job, and earn just enough to cover basic needs. This is how the system is built, and if you follow its rules, you will live this way your whole life as an obedient citizen. This is the path most people choose. But I never liked the idea of working my entire life just for money, and I was always interested in investing. Compound interest fascinated me, it is far more attractive and gives hope that you can become financially independent.

There is no choice for us to survive other than working, unless we are willing to exile ourselves to unexplored places and utilize natural resources. But even so, the truth is that we must still work in the sense that we must seek our needs even though we are completely dependent on nature.

It's our choice whether to go workaholic or work as much as we can. Well this depends on ourselves. And I would prefer to be workaholic in my youth for the purpose of being able to enjoy old age.

[MArsland]

Everything in our life is structured so that we grow up, study, find a job, and earn just enough to cover basic needs. This is how the system is built, and if you follow its rules, you will live this way your whole life as an obedient citizen. This is the path most people choose. But I never liked the idea of working my entire life just for money, and I was always interested in investing. Compound interest fascinated me, it is far more attractive and gives hope that you can become financially independent.

There is no choice for us to survive other than working, unless we are willing to exile ourselves to unexplored places and utilize natural resources. But even so, the truth is that we must still work in the sense that we must seek our needs even though we are completely dependent on nature.

It's our choice whether to go workaholic or work as much as we can. Well this depends on ourselves. And I would prefer to be workaholic in my youth for the purpose of being able to enjoy old age.

Working to live or living to work makes no difference. Ultimately as humans who still want to enjoy life, we need to do something to satisfy our hunger, wherever and however we can. Furthermore it would be difficult to argue which is more appropriate, because imao, everyone has the right to choose for live, breathe, reproduce, and see the world from their perspective.

[Iranus]

So the question remains: are we really working to live… or just living to work?

in such situation prices of essential goods and services such as rent, food and energy rise faster than wages. for these reason people feel like they are struggling to make ends meet and are only just surviving. When real wages that adjusted for inflation fail to keep pace with rising prices workers purchasing power decreases & forcing them to work harder for the same amount of money. nowadays real wages have been declining because inflation rate has been higher than wage increase. People are imposed to work longer hour or take on side job to cover primary expense making it feel less like working to live but more like living to work. I would say Bitcoin is like gold, only it works for the long term. You can't produce unlimited Bitcoin, which makes it a hedge against the erosion of purchasing power, and for me, it is a valuable store of value. In fact, currently, inflationary pressure is so high that everyone is simply busy chasing after the rising cost of living

[JaredIbrahim]

Sometimes it feels like no matter how much we earn, the cost of living keeps climbing faster. Food, rent, electricity, even transportation, everything seems to demand a bigger slice of the paycheck. People are spending more hours working, but what they can afford with that work keeps shrinking.

Inflation quietly eats into savings, and most salaries never catch up. Productivity keeps rising, but real wages have barely moved in decades. The system keeps asking for more output, more hours, more efficiency, yet most workers still feel stuck in the same place.

It makes you wonder if the goal was ever financial freedom at all, or just keeping the wheel spinning.

In times like this, some turn to Bitcoin and other decentralized assets as a hedge, not just against inflation, but against a system that seems built to make people dependent.

So the question remains: are we really working to live… or just living to work?

That's the whole game, isn't it? We're on a treadmill, and they keep cranking up the speed.

That feeling of the grind getting harder for less? That's the system working as designed. Bitcoin isn't just a hedge against inflation; it's an opt-out from that entire rigged treadmill.

Stop living to work for their dying money. Start working to secure your own.

[Yeesha]

In economic difficulties like the one we're in now, class differences start to become more apparent. If you don't have inherited wealth, no matter what you do or how hard you work, it's never enough. You always need more. It's impossible to move up in class, even meeting your basic survival needs is becoming harder day by day. There are millions of people who feel the same way as you because this is the reality of life.

The economic situation has become very hard for people in the society. They are being downgraded because they come from the lower class, and social class is also being overlooked we are actually trying our best to survive in the economy, but they are still working very hard to live.

These days the economy feels like a heavy weight on everyone's shoulders, and it hits the poor the hardest. When jobs are scarce and prices keep rising due to inflation, the families that already have little can end up losing the little that they have, just because they belong to a social class that doesn't get the same support or opportunities. It's not just about money, it is about being ignored by the systems that should help. Despite all that, the people keep pushing forward, taking any work they can find, and they are still hoping that hard work will somehow meets their requirements, goals, and desires.

[BlackBaron]

There is no choice for us to survive other than working, unless we are willing to exile ourselves to unexplored places and utilize natural resources. But even so, the truth is that we must still work in the sense that we must seek our needs even though we are completely dependent on nature.

It's our choice whether to go workaholic or work as much as we can. Well this depends on ourselves. And I would prefer to be workaholic in my youth for the purpose of being able to enjoy old age.

Working to live or living to work makes no difference. Ultimately as humans who still want to enjoy life, we need to do something to satisfy our hunger, wherever and however we can. Furthermore it would be difficult to argue which is more appropriate, because imao, everyone has the right to choose for live, breathe, reproduce, and see the world from their perspective.

Yes, it is our hunger that keeps us working, be it literal hunger or figurative hunger, in other words, we always need and want something that makes us happy and enjoy it. In the end we will stop working when we die.

And actually there is nothing to argue about in this case because everything goes according to its own needs. This is precisely what should make us think that we must do whatever it takes to survive and if it is related to the beginning we must make us not feel hungry.

[Graph001]

There is no choice for us to survive other than working, unless we are willing to exile ourselves to unexplored places and utilize natural resources. But even so, the truth is that we must still work in the sense that we must seek our needs even though we are completely dependent on nature.

It's our choice whether to go workaholic or work as much as we can. Well this depends on ourselves. And I would prefer to be workaholic in my youth for the purpose of being able to enjoy old age.

Working to live or living to work makes no difference. Ultimately as humans who still want to enjoy life, we need to do something to satisfy our hunger, wherever and however we can. Furthermore it would be difficult to argue which is more appropriate, because imao, everyone has the right to choose for live, breathe, reproduce, and see the world from their perspective.

Yes, it is our hunger that keeps us working, be it literal hunger or figurative hunger, in other words, we always need and want something that makes us happy and enjoy it. In the end we will stop working when we die.

And actually there is nothing to argue about in this case because everything goes according to its own needs. This is precisely what should make us think that we must do whatever it takes to survive and if it is related to the beginning we must make us not feel hungry.

Yes, you are right, people work because they have needs. Sometimes for food or shelter, sometimes for comfort, success, respect or happiness. Our hunger to fulfill these needs compels us to keep going and working as long as we are alive. There is always a need for something in our life. This is how our life goes. We need to work, so we work.

[terrific]

I felt this shift myself. Early on I thought “work hard, get promoted, life improves.” But expenses scaled faster than income. More hours, same stress. That’s when I started questioning the whole setup and focusing more on saving, investing, and reducing dependency instead of just chasing salary bumps.

And that's why people are pushed to become better with how they manage their finances.
With all of the hard work we do, we receive salaries and then we spend it eventually and save some.
But you'll get used to the cycle of life, work, earn and spend it afterward.
So, we have that curious mind to think of how we can get out of this life cycle that's very common to the majority of people.

[slapper]

Everything in our life is structured so that we grow up, study, find a job, and earn just enough to cover basic needs. This is how the system is built, and if you follow its rules, you will live this way your whole life as an obedient citizen. This is the path most people choose. But I never liked the idea of working my entire life just for money, and I was always interested in investing. Compound interest fascinated me, it is far more attractive and gives hope that you can become financially independent.

Structured and well-planned because this is the foundation when someone wants to achieve success, and without the support of proper preparation, it will be difficult for us to achieve success. We have a target of working until a certain age, after which we will stop working to live a normal life, such as increasing our religious devotion and continuing to enjoy a well-planned and fulfilling old age. We can achieve this if we prepare thoroughly at a young age because we have the goal of retiring from work to live a good life.

Preparing retirement funds and investing them in more productive ways can help us achieve a better life in old age, so we need to prepare everything well from now on. That is the reason why we need to work harder to prepare for a better old age because at that age working is no longer productive and we are better off enjoying our old age by getting closer to the creator.

There's something almost beautiful about this much certainty, and I mean this genuinely. The idea of life being able to be sequenced (work phase, then rest phase, then devotion phase) is comfortable in some way that I believe most people secretly crave.

What's happenig to that person you're becoming during those working decades? Because the assumption here is that you are able to postpone living until your retirement, and then accumulate enough capital and finally commence on the "real" life of meaning and spiritual depth. But humans don't operate like savings accounts. You don't put your inner development on hold while you accumulate your lifetime, then withdraw a fully developed soul at 65. The person who spent forty years optimizing for productivity suddenly realizes that they've accidentally optimized themselves for productivity. The ability to be still, to be present, to have the kind of attention devotion actually demands. These are not sitting in storage. They either grow with you or they atrophy.

Indeed, planning is how we exercise control over chaos. But there's a version of this that is its own trap-you so prepare for a future life that you never actually live now. And then retirement comes and you realize you've been playing a game you forgot how to play.

[lornadane]

Good question OP. Feels like most ppl start working to live, then slowly end up living to work. Bills, responsibilities, etc. Crypto kinda showed me there are other options, but it’s not magic. End of the day, balance matters more than grinding 24/7 imo.

[Abiky]

There is no choice for us to survive other than working, unless we are willing to exile ourselves to unexplored places and utilize natural resources. But even so, the truth is that we must still work in the sense that we must seek our needs even though we are completely dependent on nature.

It's our choice whether to go workaholic or work as much as we can. Well this depends on ourselves. And I would prefer to be workaholic in my youth for the purpose of being able to enjoy old age.

The thing is that most people these days (especially youngsters) want to live a comfortable life without working. In their "dream world", the government would pay for everything, while they sit back and relax. This wouldn't be sustainable in the long term. I mean, how are governments are going to get the money (taxes) if no one is contributing to the economy? Unless, AI takes care of everything and we'd be living on some sort of UBI (Universal Basic Income) system.

For now, we would have to work to help live a decent life. I hope the cost of living declines considerably soon. Otherwise, no one would be able to survive except for the rich. Perhaps, it's all part of the governments' plan?

[gunhell16]

In truth, opinions regarding the OP's question will be split. Not everyone aspires to remain an employee for their entire life; some are perfectly satisfied with a lifelong career in employment. Conversely, others view being an employee as a strategic phase to build capital for a future small business or as a platform to seek out opportunities that offer greater potential than their current roles.

But of course, if you’re not involved in crypto in this day and age, you really need to find a way to survive, and you can only do that by having a job so you can earn money to buy our basic needs like food, drinks, and other expenses necessary to live.

[LastKiss]

In truth, opinions regarding the OP's question will be split. Not everyone aspires to remain an employee for their entire life; some are perfectly satisfied with a lifelong career in employment. Conversely, others view being an employee as a strategic phase to build capital for a future small business or as a platform to seek out opportunities that offer greater potential than their current roles.

But of course, if you’re not involved in crypto in this day and age, you really need to find a way to survive, and you can only do that by having a job so you can earn money to buy our basic needs like food, drinks, and other expenses necessary to live.

We cannot always rely on our parents to provide for us, especially once we grow up. At some point, we have to learn how to stand on our own and take responsibility for our lives. We should be willing to take opportunities that come our way, instead of waiting for the perfect situation. Not everyone wants to become an employee and many people dream of starting their own business. However, if we try to build a business and it does not work out, we should still be grateful for the chance to be employed.

Being too picky when it comes to jobs often leads to negative outcomes. From what I have seen among people around me, many remain unemployed for a long time simply because they keep rejecting opportunities. Unfortunately, not everyone has the skills, experience or resources needed to successfully run a business. There is nothing wrong with starting as an employee, learning new skills, gaining experience, and earning a stable income.

[alankasman]

We cannot always rely on our parents to provide for us, especially once we grow up. At some point, we have to learn how to stand on our own and take responsibility for our lives. We should be willing to take opportunities that come our way, instead of waiting for the perfect situation. Not everyone wants to become an employee and many people dream of starting their own business. However, if we try to build a business and it does not work out, we should still be grateful for the chance to be employed.
Being too picky when it comes to jobs often leads to negative outcomes. From what I have seen among people around me, many remain unemployed for a long time simply because they keep rejecting opportunities. Unfortunately, not everyone has the skills, experience or resources needed to successfully run a business. There is nothing wrong with starting as an employee, learning new skills, gaining experience, and earning a stable income.

This is a very correct answer especially for us men. At least, even after high school it's better for us to be independent and not ask our parents for anything anymore. They've done enough for us, from childhood until we finish our education. So they can enjoy a little freedom with what we do after we stop asking them. The only thing we must do for them is remember and always give them what we have, because their services to us are immeasurable. However, if we have more or even if we have a business, the business we develop is certainly the result of our parents' prayers which have blessed our business.

Regarding activities don't be too picky because some people only think that work that can make money is enough. Many times what we choose ultimately leaves us behind. Some people only think of being separated from one place where there is no place to work. The income of people who choose and those who work directly is very different so don't be too picky in matters like we discussed. At least with activities that make money we can enjoy being together with our family.

[gibrab16]

The thing is that most people these days (especially youngsters) want to live a comfortable life without working. In their "dream world", the government would pay for everything, while they sit back and relax. This wouldn't be sustainable in the long term. I mean, how are governments are going to get the money (taxes) if no one is contributing to the economy? Unless, AI takes care of everything and we'd be living on some sort of UBI (Universal Basic Income) system.

[lornadane]

I agree with the frustration, but I’m not sure it’s all some grand system design. inflation, demographics, and globalization all play roles. still, the outcome is the same: regular workers feel squeezed. Bitcoin as a hedge makes sense, but it’s not a magic escape either. it helps if you already have surplus to save.