sparse gigs
endless grind
crushed souls
The corporate gospel preaches: optimize harder, become more. But the hamster wheel spins without forward motion. Each "side hustle" is table scraps rebranded as creative entrepreneurship, while burnout masquerades as dedication. The system demands everything—your time, your sleep, your authentic self—then calls you lazy for wanting to catch your breath, or keep your integrity.
Meanwhile, the real prosperity shrinks into hidden communities of inherited wealth, where elites demand your praise and worship while loathing your whole existence. All the while, even the most modest of dreams drives us only deeper into debt.
- How was the American Dream always just a pyramid scheme?
- When did livelihood start requiring a personal brand?
- How do you distinguish between building a life and burning one?
The treadmill promises progress—but the scenery never changes, and the exit door stays locked.
To grind without progress is to burn without light.
— Dean Bowman
Passages - Silence & Substance
The Inner Passages blog series features small observations and insights from The In-between.
Dean Bowman