The lady sat down in seat 14C. We glanced across the empty 14B between us and introduced ourselves. We'd been told there would be a delay before takeoff, so of course, conversation ensued...
Inevitably, The Question came up: "So, what do you do?", she asked.
“Whatever I want, whenever I can.”, was my rather glib answer. She looked at me strangely. Then, “No, I meant for a Living! What do you do for a Living?”
"Ah, of course. How do I generate the value required to earn the money I need to do whatever I want the rest of the time? Is that what you mean?"
"Well, I'm not sure... now."
We sat there, looking at each other through quizzical eyes. It wasn't exactly an awkward moment, but it was somehow stimulating and disturbing at the same time - as if an unexpected conundrum had just dropped out of the sky and landed with a wet splat right there in 14B, showering us with liquid uncertainty.
"Let me explain: There are a lucky few folks out there who actually do make a Living. The activity by which they generate value is actually something they love to do. They would do it without getting paid and, heck, if they had the means they would actually pay to do it. That is how they spend ALL their time Living their Lives."
She nodded her head, then said, "Well, what about the rest of us? We work to make our livings."
But as she said that, there was a slight change in her eyes that told me she was right there on the cusp of understanding. So I said, "Is the work that you do something you would do anyway, even if you weren't getting paid?"
Of course, her answer was "No."
"Then I have some bad news for you", I said. "The question you really asked me was "How do you spend your time dying?".