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xln98's review
4.0
Why is Paul so provocative?
I have been asking myself this question ever since I had the pleasure of interviewing him (shameless plug here: https://bit.ly/3bpVFER) and I have found it to be quite challenging.
You see, my relationship with work, or the idea of work, is very complicated. My father came from a working-class background where work was seen as a source of pride, an emblem or a representation of being a good man. So much so that my dad started working as young as 9 years old and has never stopped working working since, clocking up 70+ work weeks for my whole life. Although this is impressive in isolation, this admiration soon descends into disorder, as this work ethic was a contributing factor to my parents separating.
My mother on the other side has worked in various industries in between raising my siblings and I. As such, she never had a defined 'career', however, in her 40s she discovered photography and became an artist, which itself is an incredibly hard profession given the variability & creative struggle that comes with being an artist.
Tying these two stories together, along with the whole 'I don't know what I am going to do with my life' problem we all have, has made for a fascinating head space to live in, often wanting a 'career', but also wanting to do something that is meaningful, ethical and won't come at the expense of what truly matters to me.
I then came across Paul in our interview, and it sent me for a headspin. His brevity and clarity did not help either, meaning that I was not only confronted with a powerful idea, but with an irrefutably articulate and intelligent explanation of why what I wanted was possible, and all I have to do is walk off the beaten track, or the 'Default Path' as Paul puts it. So in short, Paul helped me realise that I do not have to stick with the status quo if I feel that it does not meet my needs, wants and desires out of life.
But there is something else. Why is Paul so damn provocative!? I think the obvious answer is that he speaks truth to power and understands the hardships that people endure just to have a good living.
But, and this is a big but, I think Paul is provactive because he invites us to view life through an Anti-capitalistic lens... How? As pointed out in the book, Paul invites us to consider what enough looks like. How many hours is enough? How much money earned/saved is enough? Do you really need a house when your 30? How much do I need for my pension?
All such questions go against the economic imperative of growth. Of wanting more, and more, and more and more, and to what end? What if you don't give a shit about owning a house. What if you don't give a shit about working for a high-paying job. Again, it all comes back to what YOU want and what YOU think is enough. It is incredibly liberating!
Paul and many others like him, are provocative to me not because they are 'digital nomads' and work a few hours a week. They are proactive because they are challenging notions that have existed for the past five centuries (Jason Hickel's 'Less is More'). They are giving a big middle finger to a system that encourages work, work and more work.
Let me be clear. My view is descriptive, not normative. If you like working 40+ hours a week, that is incredible. There is a system that is in place that will help you along your journey. But if you are anything like me, I am sure Paul's book will get you to think about what you want out of your life.
I have been asking myself this question ever since I had the pleasure of interviewing him (shameless plug here: https://bit.ly/3bpVFER) and I have found it to be quite challenging.
You see, my relationship with work, or the idea of work, is very complicated. My father came from a working-class background where work was seen as a source of pride, an emblem or a representation of being a good man. So much so that my dad started working as young as 9 years old and has never stopped working working since, clocking up 70+ work weeks for my whole life. Although this is impressive in isolation, this admiration soon descends into disorder, as this work ethic was a contributing factor to my parents separating.
My mother on the other side has worked in various industries in between raising my siblings and I. As such, she never had a defined 'career', however, in her 40s she discovered photography and became an artist, which itself is an incredibly hard profession given the variability & creative struggle that comes with being an artist.
Tying these two stories together, along with the whole 'I don't know what I am going to do with my life' problem we all have, has made for a fascinating head space to live in, often wanting a 'career', but also wanting to do something that is meaningful, ethical and won't come at the expense of what truly matters to me.
I then came across Paul in our interview, and it sent me for a headspin. His brevity and clarity did not help either, meaning that I was not only confronted with a powerful idea, but with an irrefutably articulate and intelligent explanation of why what I wanted was possible, and all I have to do is walk off the beaten track, or the 'Default Path' as Paul puts it. So in short, Paul helped me realise that I do not have to stick with the status quo if I feel that it does not meet my needs, wants and desires out of life.
But there is something else. Why is Paul so damn provocative!? I think the obvious answer is that he speaks truth to power and understands the hardships that people endure just to have a good living.
But, and this is a big but, I think Paul is provactive because he invites us to view life through an Anti-capitalistic lens... How? As pointed out in the book, Paul invites us to consider what enough looks like. How many hours is enough? How much money earned/saved is enough? Do you really need a house when your 30? How much do I need for my pension?
All such questions go against the economic imperative of growth. Of wanting more, and more, and more and more, and to what end? What if you don't give a shit about owning a house. What if you don't give a shit about working for a high-paying job. Again, it all comes back to what YOU want and what YOU think is enough. It is incredibly liberating!
Paul and many others like him, are provocative to me not because they are 'digital nomads' and work a few hours a week. They are proactive because they are challenging notions that have existed for the past five centuries (Jason Hickel's 'Less is More'). They are giving a big middle finger to a system that encourages work, work and more work.
Let me be clear. My view is descriptive, not normative. If you like working 40+ hours a week, that is incredible. There is a system that is in place that will help you along your journey. But if you are anything like me, I am sure Paul's book will get you to think about what you want out of your life.
vemana's review
reflective
medium-paced
2.5
Default path is not the only one. Find your own path. Good examples, personal touch but like all other "realize this and get started" books, it only goes so far. It is helpful and nothing against the author but you need privilege to be even able to explore some things and it doesn't help if you are not in a very western centric understanding of money and opportunity.
rahulporuri's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
An ex-colleague recommended this book to me just after I got fired, when I told him that I am planning on experimenting with things for a bit. I was in the right mindset to mostly accept the ideas being conveyed in the book and dig into my professional career plans further.
hannabell's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
matthewmeadows4's review
4.0
I really enjoyed this one. Gave me a lot to think about in regard to what I want my life to look like!