For as much as one (me) complains of the endless vexations involved in being required to be somewhere at a certain time and to prostrate oneself in front of authority, there is an even worse alternative: not having any obligation whatsoever a.k.a. not having a job.
Because money makes the world go round, to delude oneself into thinking it’s possible to exist outside of the rat race is either extremely utopian or extremely daft–typically the latter. When you’re not working, all you think about is your bank statement and how to get your next fix of dough. Granted, even when you are working you’re thinking about the emptiness of your account, but there’s less urgency to those thoughts. Less sheer panic.