roger_murdock

As civilization progresses, it becomes more and more necessary to keep oneself busy in order to conceal or distract from the pain of everyday life. Leisure time is a basic human desire, as it is evolutionarily stable to let the body and mind rest and play during downtime so they can be sharp when needed for procuring food. This conflict, between the need to keep the mind busy and the need to let it relax, is arranged in an overlapping manner such that there is no "happy medium." People --or at least a lot of us-- want to relax, but because of widely varying issues often become depressed if we do so for any length of time. But it's not the work that makes people happy. It's solid long-lasting social relationships and the resulting lack of dramatic "soap opera" lifestyles that people really need. Unfortunately, in our current structure, this is impossible for most people to attain.