I heard a recording of MIT research scientist Andrew McAfee yesterday on National Public Radio discuss the possible radical downsizing of the workforce as technology continues to advance (Is technology destroying more jobs than it's creating?) He noted that one of the biggest threats automation presents to human beings is to the ability to fulfill our deep desire to work. He shared the following quote:
Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need. - Voltaire, Candide, 1759
Seems to me that it would be ideal to shorten the work week and or lengthen holidays in order to create a more balanced work environment in the United States. I've long held that either one is stressed because they have a job, or because they don't have a job. Either way this is a stressful environment for so many.
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