Oh, I feel so much of this. I previously worked in a large healthcare system and MFB was very much the unspoken model. There was incredible tension around this as the services delivered were so necessary and needed but those charged with the delivery of services were human too. I ended up leaving for many complicated reasons and there has been some progress but it has been slow.
Thank you so much for sharing my post, what an honor!
Thank you for such a balanced and insightful article. It is true that our value system “starts right at the top, with the idea that it’s possible to keep enjoying life on planet earth indefinitely while progressively extracting it of all its resources.” While also being true that while many people promote the notion of leaving the ‘rat race’ and living ‘authentically’, as you say, when being able to do so is a privilege only available to those with money. Even the idea that one could save towards that goal is unrealistic to people who struggle to meet rent and food costs.
I’m recalling Nassim Talebs advice here about getting rich: If you’re wise and know your priorities/preferences then more wealth brings optionality.
If you don’t, more wealth simply makes you a sucker for salespeople, so you end up buying a lot more stuff that makes your life more complicated and stressful.
Can’t remember exactly (it may have been a tweet) but if you haven’t already I strongly recommend his books Antifragile and Skin in the Game. He discusses his philosophy of a successful prosperous life in great detail.
Thanks for this great piece Rosie. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about over the new year period... nice to have a name for it - MFB. My motivation for living slower (more at the speed of human) is to be able to be more present in my life, absorb its goodness and beauty which otherwise goes unnoticed.
This is the ONLY article that I have read since joining medium dot com that I enjoyed reading, because it wasn't written by a Silicon Valley algorithm.
Thanks for such a great piece and for the resounding cry of defiance. For the past 5 years I’ve been thinking about how we can purposely be bad at capitalism, and this perfectly depicts not only why we need to do it, but brings awareness to all the ways it’s trying to trick us into doing the opposite. Thank you for the permission and for the truth.
One of the questionable advantages of being anciently old is that my brain just stops working creatively after about 11 a.m. I can’t do MFB after the deadline. Thanks for the article.its thought-provoking.
This week I read Simone Stolzoff’s ‘The Good Enough Job: What We Gain When We Don’t Put Work First’ which dovetails beautifully with what you’ve said about your experience and realizations.
I also sleep in while my kids are sleeping rather than wake up and do yoga or be productive or whatever. Sleep is what I need most with a 4-year and 16-month-old who both still wake us up at night. And I also have that bitter thought about not wanting to hear self-help or meditation advice from anyone who is not a parent of small children. It’s a whole other level of stress and weariness.
Thanks for the post and best of luck with slowing down!
Oh, I feel so much of this. I previously worked in a large healthcare system and MFB was very much the unspoken model. There was incredible tension around this as the services delivered were so necessary and needed but those charged with the delivery of services were human too. I ended up leaving for many complicated reasons and there has been some progress but it has been slow.
Thank you so much for sharing my post, what an honor!
Pleasure! I've been thinking about your post all week.
Thank you for such a balanced and insightful article. It is true that our value system “starts right at the top, with the idea that it’s possible to keep enjoying life on planet earth indefinitely while progressively extracting it of all its resources.” While also being true that while many people promote the notion of leaving the ‘rat race’ and living ‘authentically’, as you say, when being able to do so is a privilege only available to those with money. Even the idea that one could save towards that goal is unrealistic to people who struggle to meet rent and food costs.
Thank you also for the great links.
The goals will be met, even though there will be nobody left to notice .
So much truth right here! Thanks for sharing my post 🤍
Thank you so much for reading, Katherine!
What a great piece! Thank you for sharing your revelations and such astute words of wisdom. We can all learn from this ❤️.
Such a good piece, Rosie
I’m recalling Nassim Talebs advice here about getting rich: If you’re wise and know your priorities/preferences then more wealth brings optionality.
If you don’t, more wealth simply makes you a sucker for salespeople, so you end up buying a lot more stuff that makes your life more complicated and stressful.
Ooh, I’d love to read this -- do you remember where he wrote this?
Better still! I’ve found the article where he discusses the issue: https://medium.com/incerto/only-the-rich-are-poisoned-the-preference-of-others-c35ddf65cf68
thanks so much!
Can’t remember exactly (it may have been a tweet) but if you haven’t already I strongly recommend his books Antifragile and Skin in the Game. He discusses his philosophy of a successful prosperous life in great detail.
Thanks for this great piece Rosie. This is something I’ve been thinking a lot about over the new year period... nice to have a name for it - MFB. My motivation for living slower (more at the speed of human) is to be able to be more present in my life, absorb its goodness and beauty which otherwise goes unnoticed.
More faster better, the three speeds of Capitalism. But humans must be fed and paid and nurtured, so we have GEN AI.
This is the ONLY article that I have read since joining medium dot com that I enjoyed reading, because it wasn't written by a Silicon Valley algorithm.
Thanks for such a great piece and for the resounding cry of defiance. For the past 5 years I’ve been thinking about how we can purposely be bad at capitalism, and this perfectly depicts not only why we need to do it, but brings awareness to all the ways it’s trying to trick us into doing the opposite. Thank you for the permission and for the truth.
One of the questionable advantages of being anciently old is that my brain just stops working creatively after about 11 a.m. I can’t do MFB after the deadline. Thanks for the article.its thought-provoking.
Thank you for another great piece, Rosie.
This week I read Simone Stolzoff’s ‘The Good Enough Job: What We Gain When We Don’t Put Work First’ which dovetails beautifully with what you’ve said about your experience and realizations.
I also sleep in while my kids are sleeping rather than wake up and do yoga or be productive or whatever. Sleep is what I need most with a 4-year and 16-month-old who both still wake us up at night. And I also have that bitter thought about not wanting to hear self-help or meditation advice from anyone who is not a parent of small children. It’s a whole other level of stress and weariness.
Thanks for the post and best of luck with slowing down!