... well, assuming you, like me, aren't fabulously wealthy, anyway. ;)

Because that's not freedom. That's some middling low rent outcome.

Freedom means I don't have to wait in line if I don't want to. That if a hurricane comes through and destroys my house, I can just move to another one without trouble. That if I get Liver cancer, I can buy a house in Tennessee and skip the donor wait list in California (Like Steve Jobs did). It means the local cops won't bully me and my family because I paid for all of their fancy new equipment. Etc...

Freedom is not sitting idle in some garage fiddling with some bullshit. It's about being able to act with as wide as options as possible.

The point is that we shouldn't be advocating for middling outcomes and some fake version of freedom defined by leisure. It's not about being a millionaire its about leading an impactful option filled life. You can do that without money.

There is a whole trend of bucking the idea of having a huge vision and working to make that happen. Rejecting the idea that our work shouldn't be the most important thing in our lives. Your work, is how you engage with the world. Your job sucks, ok then do something else, move, shed the restrictions keeping you from doing it.

People lock themselves into these cycles aka rat races where they are working bullshit jobs for inefficient exploitative markets. Stop, and go and make an impact. Stop with the idea that working for 20 years and then taking the rest of your life off is the best use of your talent.

Oh but they say I have a family to feed, and I have health problems etc... Guess what, they'll figure it out. Kids are tough and resilient. Move somewhere with better health care, restructure your life to minimize the impacts. There are ways to do it.

Hmm, well my bio would indicate otherwise.

After working for decades in bullshit jobs, no one cares about making the best use of their talent, they care about enjoying their life, or what little is left of it.

Yea, sad isn't it?