I'd prefer if the writer were a little more subtle, but I enjoyed the piece nontheless. I don't particularly care for The Onion, but it seems like what the author brought up is a big issue of today for the common. It baffles my mind that people out there have an hour long or more commute. It baffles my mind how people so passively live their lives, moving from one day to the next without much thought about what they're doing.

Every day I feel it. Every day that I wake up, I tell myself that I really don't want to -- I tell myself that I don't ever want to work another day in my life. I'm frantically looking for ways to maximize my time to do the things I enjoy doing: playing video games, spending quality time with friends and my bike, training, cooking, learning. I look at the clock, and I see time passing. What could I be doing with that time? Too much. The endless possibilities are what cripple me at times.

I'm learning to fit my work life to complement my real life. I moved closer to work, so I could ride my bike. Shorter commute, more time after work, more time sleeping in. I ride my bike to work to complement my fitness goals. I am single by choice (mostly), and take care of what I need to do regardless of whatever obstacles I encounter. If I find that my mind is slipping and I'm getting into a rut, I'll call in; I'll extend my weekend to reboot because I find my job irritating. I find work dull and mind numbing and sometimes I feel like taking an extra day for myself will benefit me. In the end, it is about me. If I think that something doesn't seem to fit into my idea of a relaxed and gainful life I'll do something to change it, whatever the costs.

Working is not freedom. Westerners spend 40-100 hours a week working, slaving themselves for a project or deadline for a paycheck. Why? You're not doing anything for yourself -- you are benefiting SOMEONE ELSE AT THE EXPENSE OF YOUR TIME. No one should ever have to work, and I hope that one day we'll reach a point in our history where machines will do our work for us while we spend our days creating.