Back home, during Sundays, everything stops as well. Or more accurately, takes a breather. After moving to a bigger city, where Sundays don't exist, I realized that people will see these kinds of days as holly still when they see their time on this earth as something that is one of a kind to enjoy, and not as consumption and production duty. Thank you for this beautiful essay!
Some people love their work so much that time they are required to be away is considered onerous. Some detest their work and any time away is a relief.
A diminishing number of people consider some days off as holy in nature. A very few people strive to see every day as holy.
All people resent mandatory days on or off the job, as bridles on their free will.
What I'm arguing here is that people do say that they want to make their own individual choices about ceremonies to attend, and days off, and that they bridle at mandatory days off because "but my free will." Except that's not how it works, long run: If we all say, "oh, people may work on weekends if they want to, because free will" in no time at all we will all be obligated to work on weekends, because that is what people do. I can't be the one person to say "but it's my free will to not work on Sunday," because if everyone else works on Sunday, I'll get fired for being the outlier. That is certainly how it worked when I lived in the USA--and the amount that I loved my job (and I did love my job there) did not make up for the fact that everyone, always, was obligated to be at work. I think this is worsening now as people "work remotely"--if I can work from home, I now must work from home. There is no place of respite to run to.
This is a tragedy of the commons, like a few people standing up at a concert obligating everyone else to stand up, even though no one wanted to spend the concert standing.
Back home, during Sundays, everything stops as well. Or more accurately, takes a breather. After moving to a bigger city, where Sundays don't exist, I realized that people will see these kinds of days as holly still when they see their time on this earth as something that is one of a kind to enjoy, and not as consumption and production duty. Thank you for this beautiful essay!
Thank you, Elisa!
Some people love their work so much that time they are required to be away is considered onerous. Some detest their work and any time away is a relief.
A diminishing number of people consider some days off as holy in nature. A very few people strive to see every day as holy.
All people resent mandatory days on or off the job, as bridles on their free will.
What I'm arguing here is that people do say that they want to make their own individual choices about ceremonies to attend, and days off, and that they bridle at mandatory days off because "but my free will." Except that's not how it works, long run: If we all say, "oh, people may work on weekends if they want to, because free will" in no time at all we will all be obligated to work on weekends, because that is what people do. I can't be the one person to say "but it's my free will to not work on Sunday," because if everyone else works on Sunday, I'll get fired for being the outlier. That is certainly how it worked when I lived in the USA--and the amount that I loved my job (and I did love my job there) did not make up for the fact that everyone, always, was obligated to be at work. I think this is worsening now as people "work remotely"--if I can work from home, I now must work from home. There is no place of respite to run to.
This is a tragedy of the commons, like a few people standing up at a concert obligating everyone else to stand up, even though no one wanted to spend the concert standing.
You are so right!
> Last year, Starbucks locations in the United States were proud to announce that they would be open on Christmas Day.
And never forget Chinese restaurants :)
https://youtu.be/ooAtySpObLw?si=3oiD-OpInz6K7kn3
Sundays are for workouts. Period.
However the spirit moves you. :)