Here a new podcast on Obligation, Duty and striving for personal freedom.  It’s a long one at almost two hours, but there’s some fun and interesting stuff in it.  It starts with some Ayn Rand, touches into Steve Martin and Peter Gibbons, goes into and then leaves Price Waterhouse, ditches my wife’s book club, takes a nap, sleeps in, does a little Harry Browne, worries about doing what you love, and features Dave Grant singing my “Mom’s Favorite Bum”.

 

 

 

Here is my outline for the podcast (pasted here mostly for Google search spiders, no need to read it):

 

I’m obliged to tell you….

 

Talking about obligations and their role in freedom, happiness, productivity and time

  • Obligations are things you essentially have to do
  • Our Dark Mistress, Ayn Rand on the topic (thunder and lightning)
  • Moving from angry political libertarian to productive happy personal obligation

Office space and Parenthood audio

Audio of bad movie

The triple liability of a bad movie

Alarm clock

Being forced to wake up stinks

Vacation is stupid when you cram, just like visiting family

Work

The Dangers of Doing What You Love

  • The problem with paying bills with passion (you can’t pay bills very well)
  • The problem with trying pay bills with passion (the paying bills part becomes compromised with aspects of a job)
  • There’s not a right or wrong way, but you have to figure it out.

 

You get what you sign up for:

  • The book club
  • The gym membership
  • The wedding
  • The class
  • Kids activities
  • Committing to a long family visit

 

 

Family and friends

Social obligations

Owning stuff, like a house

Debt and finances

Chores

Exercise and diet

 

Things my dad never did – the negative obligation machine. His job, my accountancy, he became incapable of pursuing a positive obligation

What happened to motherhood?

– As an aside, why didn’t the workforce blow up?

 

Why we don’t value time (what if jobs split) and Figuring out the time at work

 

Freedom from politics, news, your religion, social norms, race worries, being PC

 

 

The pressure of productive, self-improvement, gaining wealth and personal change

– Getting things done, four hour work week, think and grow rich, rich dad poor dad

Is the desire to want to be productive an obligation?

  • Should I write every day? Another obligation
  • Is it something we are born with. Animals.
  • Or is it something we’re taught or even conditioned into
  • And what of school and parents

Pressure of comparing yourself to others becomes an obligation

 

  • The mindless, schooled march into obligation
  • Don’t send your kids to school

 

A life without obligation

Building the right obligations is good.

  • Should we have children if we want to be free?
  • Should I buy a house
  • Should I start a new company
  • Should I start creating something

Obligation Management Software

 

Harry Brown’s TOC

 

It would be insane to turn this blog into an obligation