> before the industrial revolution, most people were farmers. Kids were out playing, stayed home safe or participated to gardening activities.

Ah yes, the good old times where nobody could read or write and your only perspective in life was to be a farmer like your father and his father before him!

I've cared sharing your comment with two farmers, they appear to be able to read so their response may not be representative of the audience you had in mind: Be a farmer just one day and you will change your mind. I think it's wise advice as it wouldn't take long rethoric for some truth to reveal itself, and surely would be a valuable experience.

I don't think anyone would call modern farmers illiterate - did you miss the "before the industrial revolution" bit?

I don't understand where you see any correlation between the two in my comment.

as other comment pointed out, nobody is making a value comparison, but since you are at it, at least let's not be derogatory about farmers life. there is still a good portion of the world population living that lifestyle. Having been closely in touch with some, a few interesting things stood out to me: they have outstanding communication skills and are very pragmatic, down to earth when assessing their own situation vs the urbanised population, are far less easily influenced and seem to have a gotten a far more hollistic education. they navigate a difficult economy where they produce undoubtly tremendous value yet get a small share of the reward and respect. To get back on the thread subject, I don't recall having seen any sleep deprived farmers, despite the hard labour they have to participate in each day of their hardship seasons. I'm not sure what is their only perspective, it may well be to be a farmer, I never asked that question since it appeared to me that they aren't suffering existential issues. what is your perspective(s) in life? other than being able to read, write and not being a farmer?

No one is claiming that was better, just giving a brief history of how we got where we are.

If you mean sleep in a dorm at school, I'll have you know that didn't help either.

First class of the day was at 730 and what that really meant was rolling out of bed at 725 still in my clothes from last night and trudging over to the building next door where I would be marked present and immediately fall asleep in my desk. The first class was utterly worthless as far as I know and I learned not a thing. Shower and change of clothes and actually starting my day happend during breakfast break later.

Part of the problem, imo, is that quiet time in the dorm started at 1045 but was poorly enforced so often it was impossible to get to sleep till 1130 or later.

I just wanted to comment on how interesting it is to observe differences in upbringing and culture :)

When reading the parent comment, I naturally assumed they were talking about sleeping in class, as that wasy solution to the sleep problem as well. To this day I routinely meet people that seem to file this possibility away in the "impossible" drawer of their minds or assume that "this person doesn't look like trash that sleeps during class" and conclude that there's been a misunderstanding.

Just to be clear, I am not lashing out at you (or anyone), and just wanted to make this comment more vivid to emphasize how expectations and assumptions make it all too easy to misinterpret a statement as a "typo" of a different statement altogether.