Why is life called a "rat race"?

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oatmeal

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Life is often referred to as a "rat race".
I have an idea of what that means but I was curious about any other interpretations?

I believe it's referring to life as a rat race in that we are all like rats, living out our lives
in a lab being controlled by the scientist(s), following the rules/boundaries/structures set
in place for us (our cage) and aim is to get the cheese (9 to 5 work life), get married, pop out
some kids, pay your taxes, until death.

So is the goal then "not" to be a rat in this race we call life? Do we want to become the scientist(s)
or something else? Or is there no way out of the rat race, just an inevitable and inescapable
fate?
 
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for me the rat race - what society expects you to do.
Quitting the race - leaving life the way i want it not the way im told.

Thats pretty much it for me... not because I wanna be 'cool' but because I wanna create my own life and not just "do what everyone else's doing"
Thats why I didn't go to college even though i actually excelled in my high school [finished in like top 10 or something]...

Funny thing, my friend that went to class with me [we studied computer science together in high school] just finished his MBA (or is it MBS? or CNBC? who cares whatever they call this piece of paper that gets you into debt and gives u nothing) for computer science about a year ago and guess what? he's still looking for a job and im making way more money than he does without some BS degree.
 
zionbar said:
for me the rat race - what society expects you to do.
Quitting the race - leaving life the way i want it not the way im told.

Thats pretty much it for me... not because I wanna be 'cool' but because I wanna create my own life and not just "do what everyone else's doing"
Thats why I didn't go to college even though i actually excelled in my high school [finished in like top 10 or something]...

Funny thing, my friend that went to class with me [we studied computer science together in high school] just finished his MBA (or is it MBS? or CNBC? who cares whatever they call this piece of paper that gets you into debt and gives u nothing) for computer science about a year ago and guess what? he's still looking for a job and im making way more money than he does without some BS degree.
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My thoughts exactly!
 
I agree for the most part. I do think that univ/college education can get you a great career and make you lots of money, too. But I guess it depends on a lot of factors. A lot of people choose a specific major or program and don't fully go through with it and then blame the system for failing them. Other times people do go through with it fully committed but really can't find any job pertaining to their field of study and end up having to change careers which costs MORE money and required MORE time. So now looking back the uni/college degree looks like a waste of time and money.

There are lots of people who drop out and fail miserably in life and get nowhere, but there are those who do dropout and actually have a better, financially more rewarding life, too. Overall, I think we need a bit of both....there needs to be a balance between actual education/studies and personal education/street smarts.

I think it would be better even to go back to the old method of "apprenticeship". Imagine if you had a professional/expert with a lifetime of experience in a particular field teach you everything about it from a young age and give you all the personal attention, firsthand experience, training, and skills. That person would excel far more in a shorter amount of time, than someone who spends 20 years of formal education and 50-100K in debt at the end of it with no guarantee of a job and even a proven a skill.
 
oatmeal said:
I agree for the most part. I do think that univ/college education can get you a great career and make you lots of money, too. But I guess it depends on a lot of factors. A lot of people choose a specific major or program and don't fully go through with it and then blame the system for failing them. Other times people do go through with it fully committed but really can't find any job pertaining to their field of study and end up having to change careers which costs MORE money and required MORE time. So now looking back the uni/college degree looks like a waste of time and money.

There are lots of people who drop out and fail miserably in life and get nowhere, but there are those who do dropout and actually have a better, financially more rewarding life, too. Overall, I think we need a bit of both....there needs to be a balance between actual education/studies and personal education/street smarts.

I think it would be better even to go back to the old method of "apprenticeship". Imagine if you had a professional/expert with a lifetime of experience in a particular field teach you everything about it from a young age and give you all the personal attention, firsthand experience, training, and skills. That person would excel far more in a shorter amount of time, than someone who spends 20 years of formal education and 50-100K in debt at the end of it with no guarantee of a job and even a proven a skill.
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Especially, here in India where one has to mug up expecting to get a job and parents are like my son/daughter has become an engineer and they have all the knowledge in the world lol
 
It's derived from a simple thing that rats do.
A rat follows other group of rats assuming that the group will lead it to some food. Other rats keep joining the group and thus begins the race of reaching the finish line first, without knowing if there's a reward or not.
Same thing is with humans and modern civilization and hence the term rat race.
 
TheVigilante said:
Especially, here in India where one has to mug up expecting to get a job and parents are like my son/daughter has become an engineer and they have all the knowledge in the world lol
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I feel your pain man.My parents are proud of the job that I do irl not the money I get from IM.
Even though I earn 5x online than my irl job.
 
Bigdadddy said:
I feel your pain man.My parents are proud of the job that I do irl not the money I get from IM.
Even though I earn 5x online than my irl job.
Click to expand...


That’s the mistake we won’t make for the upcoming
 
So much words. Here:
GrippingDimwittedHalcyon-size_restricted.gif


90% of the jobs we do are like this - completely pointless.
 
The only thing (if we suppose it exists) we will retain from this life is our experiences and the way we experience the reality around us .

Doesn't matter , u may have millions and still be unhappy from the inside , or be less rich but live a happier life .
 
oatmeal said:
Life is often referred to as a "rat race".
I have an idea of what that means but I was curious about any other interpretations?

I believe it's referring to life as a rat race in that we are all like rats, living out our lives
in a lab being controlled by the scientist(s), following the rules/boundaries/structures set
in place for us (our cage) and aim is to get the cheese (9 to 5 work life), get married, pop out
some kids, pay your taxes, until death.

So is the goal then "not" to be a rat in this race we call life? Do we want to become the scientist(s)
or something else? Or is there no way out of the rat race, just an inevitable and inescapable
fate?
Click to expand...
There is a way out.. Minimalism is a growing trend nowadays, most of big YouTubers like Graham Stephen, Matt D'Avella talking about how to become minimalist
I think in next 10 years, minimalism become a big things and a way of lifestyle of people that sick and tired of rat race (like me)
Capitalism doesnt like that, but everyone should embrace minimalism
 
And the ultimate goal of human being (not many which achieve this) is to become one and blend with the universe and the creator .
 
maslryu said:
And the ultimate goal of human being (not many which achieve this) is to become one and blend with the universe and the creator .
Click to expand...

but "greed" / money is always in the way. We need to somehow abolish money / currency systems.
 
Being realistic. There's no point for human lives on earth. We're actually not doing anything here. It's funny but for real, I've thought about it alot.

What I mean, at the end nothing js really achieved as we all end up dying even the ones we leave behind will eventually follow suit. That's why I like to take the Bible's version of why humans were created because it gives it a little sense and meaning.

Irrespective of what kind of job you do, that serves as your occupation. There isn't much difference at the very end of the day. So what's the point of trying to conform to othet people's ideas when it'll eventually not change the ultimate outcome of everyone.

What's best is; doing what you love. Doing the kind of jobs you love, be they 9-5 jobs or running your own show. It doesn't matter.

What matters is that you're happy, fulfilled and satisfied with the little time granted to you on the surface of earth.
 
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