Does this saying explain why Americans are so stressed out? Why or why not?

Question

"It's a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can't eat for eight hours; he can't drink for eight hours; he can't make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work." -- William Faulkner

Obviously, Faulkner left out sleep, but that's not something that you "do," so I imagine that's why it wasn't mentioned.

And yes, it says "a man" but consider the context/time period.

Anyway, if this philosophy hits at the main source of stress for Americans, why has no one proposed a shorter work day or week? Are we really that greedy?

Answer 1

Its not greed. Think about the pioneers of this country. Do you think that they complained about working 8 hours? Try 18hrs. Of course not and there was no money to be had for what they did. They hacked their lives out of the wilderness and everything they did was for survival.

Fast forward a few hundred years and what have you? People with the same drive and need to survive. Yes there are greedy people and they are everywhere. We Americans decided long ago to be capitalists and there's a reason for that. Today there are people who make tons of money for doing very little but I'll bet they worked there bums off on the way there.

And I disagree with one of the other statements. Its not the business owners who are greedy. Corporations yes but business owners are the people who put in 10-16 hrs a day and pour their hearts and souls into something they've created to give themselves and their families a life worth living.

In the end, we work as hard as we do in the hope that one day we won't have to work so hard. We hope and plan that we will one day live a life not ruled by money because its the people that don't have money who stress about it. Yes some people are "the more they got the more they want" kinda people but I think the average American would just love to not have to worry about the bills anymore, to not worry about a major accident or disease destroying their ability to earn money.

Me, I just want to give my kids a better life than I had growing up, and that's a sentiment you will hear from a lot of hard working, majorly stressed out people.

Answer 2

Each year, Europeans work up to 12 weeks less than Americans, according to the International Labor Organization. Generous vacations are guaranteed by law and transportable, so that even the newest hires often get a minimum of 20 days off each year. Americans average 10 days.

Workers have been especially pampered in France and Germany.

A French law in 2000 cut the work week to 35 days for two out of three workers, with a goal of lowering unemployment by spreading work among more employees. French workers also get 25-30 days of vacation plus a dozen bank holidays.

Over the border in Germany, the 35-hour work week has been enshrined in custom and labor agreements. Even a newly hired factory worker gets an average 30 days of vacation and a slew of national holidays.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, in 2003 French workers put in an average of 1,453 hours, while Germans worked 1,446 and the Americans: 1,792.

Answer 3

Yes our obsession with work is the cause of North American stress. We should learn from the Europeans who have a shorter work-week & more vacation time. Life is more important than work. We need more time to enjoy ourselves. I work 12 hour shifts. It's a really long day. It's hard because I don't even get to see my loved ones for 12 hours at a stretch & I have to work at a job I hate & put up with idiots for that long. It's tough! I'd love more time off. If only I could win the lottery & not have to work at all!!!

Answer 4

In a capitalistic society, the more you work, the more you make. Competition is king.

Some people get it though. They figure out how much they really need to live on and work just enough to make it.

Other people find work that they love so it doesn't really feel like work.

Also, people vacation more than 8 hours, lay around in the sun for 8 hours, watch TV for 8 hours, read for 8 hours. There are a lot of things people do for 8+ hours in addition to work. It's all about choice.

Answer 5

I know that in my state, they tried to propose a shorter school day/week, but I think that saying is totally true.

We are a greedy nation. Money runs this country. If you don't have money in this country, you CAN'T live. You need money for clothing, food, a roof over your head, medication, doctor visits. It's really sad.

I think the work thing is definately true. That's all really most people can do for so long. Some people don't even get the chance to sleep that long due to their jobs. Some people are lucky though--they've got better jobs. Other people have to work for very many hours, just to get a paycheck big enough to support themselves. Not necessarily everyone is really greedy in this country. Working is essential to get money for the things we absolutely need to survive. Some people try to get as much money as they can, but some just do it to survive.

Answer 6

I wonder if it really is greed? Well, maybe it is.

I live in a small town and have a working husband but our choice is for me to stay home and raise our 5 kids. Three are out of the house already and earning.

The other two and my husband live on his not large wage.

Here's the thing: I only buy food and prepare meals from scratch. We aaaallllll wear clothes ('cept a couple items - shoes and understuff!!) from Goodwill, and we don't do a lot of vacations and other costly hobby stuff. YET we are contented and cheerful in a moderate home (with 2nd hand furntiture) and 2 old cars. You have to buy Teflon frying pans NEW, mind you.

FOLKS IT CAN BE DONE on one income. It can. I am willing to give anyone help who wants to do this too. I have LOVED seeing my kids get on in life - homeschooled a couple of years there, and the ones in High school are good students.

What more can I want?? Oh, yes. I am not stressed. Stressed is desserts backwards.

Answer 7

most of us "peasants" aren't that greedy--the ones who "own the businesses" are, however. the harder you work, the more they profit. moreover, think about it. the peasants outnumber the elites/owners/ruling class many times over. so, a huge agenda item for them is keeping the "mere peasants/little people" as disempowered as possible. otherwise the plebs might get pis*ed off at being exploited and chemtrailed, used and abused, etc. and create a problem. thus, keeping them worn out and stressed is a good strategy, among many others, eh? another popular one is "endless war". not only does it help with the "population problem" as the psychopaths see it, but it serves as well to keep the fear level high. did you ever notice how energy draining fear and stress are? if you're tired it's hard to organize and take measures. they may be no consciousness nazis, but they're certainly not stupid.

Answer 8

You hit the nale on the head. People with excellent jobs look for second jobs with the time off. Both spouses working and never satisfied.

Answer 9

Actually, I'm not sure Americans should be singled out here. We do strive for excellence probably more than most other countries. And I don't think we're any more stressed out than others. Probably less because we have it so much better than other countries.

Answer 10

yeah i am curious who decided 40 hours was full time