I was sitting at work the other day thinking about how much worse this situation would be if I had a spouse and kids depending on me. Imagine absolutely hating your job, waking up miserable every morning, but knowing you can't just quit because your family depends on your paycheck AND your health insurance. At that point, how much freedom do you really have? And it's crazy how much of your life can hinge on keeping one employer happy. You make a mistake, get laid off, piss off the wrong person, whatever, suddenly you can lose your income and potentially your family's health insurance at the same time. Then everyone says, "Just find another job," as if getting another decent job is something you can instantly do, especially in a terrible job market. the freedom. Obviously you technically have to quit. Nobody is physically forcing you to show up. But when quitting means potentially losing your ability to feed your family, or afford healthcare, that freedom starts feeling pretty theoretical. It genuinely feels like a prison sometimes. The older I get, the more insane this system seems to me. And there seems to be no way to escape.