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Guy Gives GF An Ultimatum, Left In Shock When She Chooses A “Soul-Sucking” Job Over Him
Guy Gives GF An Ultimatum, Left In Shock When She Chooses A “Soul-Sucking” Job Over Him
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Guy Gives GF An Ultimatum, Left In Shock When She Chooses A “Soul-Sucking” Job Over Him

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Many people work a job they despise because, at the end of the day, it keeps the lights on. If you are lucky, you don’t entirely despise it and if you are very lucky, it actively brings you joy, but there is nothing wrong with doing something that leaves you financially secure.

A woman asked the internet for advice after her boyfriend gave her an ultimatum to pick between him and her job which he hated. As it turns out, despite being mostly unemployed, he has big dreams to live off-grid with zero responsibilities. We reached out to the woman who made the post via private message and will update the article when she gets back to us.

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    Some people have strong opinions about “corporate” jobs

    Image credits: YuriArcursPeopleimages / Envato (not the actual photo)

    But one man decided to make his girlfriend pick between him and her career

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    Image credits: LightFieldStudios / Envato (not the actual photo)

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    Image credits: Affectionate_Sir7593

    Getting “off the grid” isn’t easy in any way, shape or form

    Ultimatums are a touchy subject in most relationships, as some see them as a “kiss of death,” while others believe it’s a healthy way to enforce boundaries. Regardless of opinions, one partner issuing an ultimatum is rarely a sign that things are going well. After all, conflict resolution is a key part of any healthy relationship, so the need for “threats” tends to indicate that something is just wrong. There are times for hard conversations, but these are things that need to be approached with tact.

    However, normally, if this word can be used for an ultimatum, the issue is a lot more breaking than one person not wanting their partner to have a job. There are cases where one might not like their partner’s occupation, for example if they work in a very unethical field or happen to have a job that involves something morally questionable.

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    This boyfriend, in contrast, seems to have issues with the very concept of having a job in the first place. This is not to defend office jobs, some are “soul-sucking” and burnout inducing, but the main issue is that he is making ultimatums over things that are just not his decision. Similarly, living off-grid is so cost intensive that, paradoxically, one needs a lot of money beforehand to even attempt it. It’s a huge ask and quite unreasonable as he simply does not have anything close to plan.

    Ultimatums need to be approached with honesty

    Image credits: Drazen Zigic / Freepik (not the actual photo)

    If he is this insistent on this idea, he really could have approached it better. Wanting an off-grid future with your partner is not in of itself a bad thing, assuming they want it as well. Expecting it to have “zero responsibilities” is more unrealistic, but a person can dream. However, it does seem like his partner isn’t exactly on board with this idea.

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    So instead of convincing her, which might be a tall order for someone used to the comforts of life “on-grid,” he berates her and seemingly blames her job for his tiredness. This is a pretty visible red flag, flying high and proud. He does appear to be a bit delusional, describing his idea as a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” as if she can’t find another unemployed man out there pretty quickly.

    It’s also important to note that, ultimately, how her job makes her feel and what she does about it is her decision. People stay in jobs they deeply dislike for good reasons and bad reasons, but it’s not someone else’s business to make them change, assuming nothing illegal is happening. If the fact that your partner has a fairly regular office job hurts you, it’s probably best to reevaluate your life. There is nothing wrong with being a free spirit, but making someone else be a “free spirit” goes against the spirit, no pun intended, of the very idea.

    Ultimately, if you are going to make an ultimatum, which some relationships do need to continue, it’s important to do the opposite of what he did. His plans were vague, his only demand was to quit with no idea how to keep moving forward. From the woman’s perspective, it’s actually a lot easier to understand what to do. He made an ultimatum and she declined. The very fact that the relationship isn’t just over means he can’t commit to his own rules, so it’s questionable how he might commit to the very labor intensive concept of “off-grid living.”

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    Some folks did their best to give advice

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    Many thought she was right to refuse

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    One netizen sided with the BF

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    Justin Sandberg

    Justin Sandberg

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    Read more »

    I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

    Read less »
    Justin Sandberg

    Justin Sandberg

    Writer, BoredPanda staff

    I am a writer at Bored Panda. Despite being born in the US, I ended up spending most of my life in Europe, from Latvia, Austria, and Georgia to finally settling in Lithuania. At Bored Panda, you’ll find me covering topics ranging from the cat meme of the day to red flags in the workplace and really anything else. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, beating other people at board games, cooking, good books, and bad films.

    What do you think ?
    Boo
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The YTAer.....I think we found the boyfriend.

    Veronica Jean
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So...I've actually lived the off grid life briefly, and it takes a TON of planning and skill. And you work. A LOT. Need water? you have to drive to a well, work on the well owners farm for an hour, fill containers, haul them, and THAT'S your water. Wash dishes? Reuse the same quart of water for all of them. And that's JUST water. It can be done. It's wonderful. But it's not being homeless in the woods. It's hard, hard work and ingenuity. You BUILD and INVENT everything you need. The fact that he has no plan and gets offended when asked is a HUGE red flag that he is not the type who would survive well in practicality. You would end up homeless, bumming off others, and pretty miserable because this guy would never be self sufficient.

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    Traveling Lady Railfan
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's a wonderful romanticized idea to live off the grid, convert your van into your home, travel the country, go with the flow... Also, how do you survive? Life won't just provide for you. It's a wonderful idea to be young and idealistic and free and travel and do all these things that everyone else who has a job and a home and pets and kids and responsibilities look at with a little bit of envy and just say wow, that would be interesting to try. So? Set him free. Like a dandelion poof, off you go. Make sure he doesn't get anything of yours including any of your money and hopefully, not your address or email or phone number either. Bye-bye. Go live your best life. Don't come crawling back to me when you need stability, a house, a shower, a meal....

    TribbleThinking
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He's already freeloading off you occasionally. Do you get thanks for that, or just the accusation that you're sucking his soul dry (or working to bail his rump out, tomato, tomahto, whatever).

    Robin Roper
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "living off the grid" takes money. Who is going to buy the solar panels, storage batteries, hand powered water pump, etc. Does this guy have land or is he planning on squatting? Who will hunt, grow the food, preserve (drying canning, pickling, salting, etc) the food, who will hunt. This guy is a bum and wants to live his life as a bum; let him, and set him free. Good riddance.

    Grenelda Thurber
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not to mention, solar panels, storage batteries and hand-powered pumps are all manufactured by large corporations.

    Load More Replies...
    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just picture how you're going to live off the grid when it comes to needing health care, pensions, holidays etc. It may suit some, but if it doesn't suit you, don't do it. I've just retired aged 62 thanks to my office job - no money worries and young enough to do whatever I want.

    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love how these anti-corporate off-gridders ignore the fact that every single item they use is a result of centuries of corporate industrialised society. Where do you think your camper van came from? Your computer, your books, your gun (cos I bet they have them) your food sources, your phone... and dog knows what happens when they get sick and have to get healthcare and d***s that exist as a result of decades of research by big corporations. Hypocrites, the lot of them.

    Terran
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To be fair, you don't need corporations for any of this. They are merely the organisational structure that developed and acquired the means to develop and produce. What you really need is the people who actually put in the labour required to develop and produce. But the end result is the same, living off grid is romanticised and mostly delusional.

    Load More Replies...
    Terran
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This guy never spent a single minute thinking about the actual implications of going off grid. I know people who do/did and they all work a lot. Like more hours than they would as "corporate drone" in my country. But he probably needs to experience this for himself and OP already understands that this is a shítty idea.

    whiterabbit
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gotta love those people who think they should be handed land and the tools they need for shelter and food production and yet they contribute nothing to society. Then they claim capitalism is the problem.

    Paul Rabit
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gurl stop dating a boy and start dating a man.

    Load More Comments
    Boo
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    The YTAer.....I think we found the boyfriend.

    Veronica Jean
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    So...I've actually lived the off grid life briefly, and it takes a TON of planning and skill. And you work. A LOT. Need water? you have to drive to a well, work on the well owners farm for an hour, fill containers, haul them, and THAT'S your water. Wash dishes? Reuse the same quart of water for all of them. And that's JUST water. It can be done. It's wonderful. But it's not being homeless in the woods. It's hard, hard work and ingenuity. You BUILD and INVENT everything you need. The fact that he has no plan and gets offended when asked is a HUGE red flag that he is not the type who would survive well in practicality. You would end up homeless, bumming off others, and pretty miserable because this guy would never be self sufficient.

    ADVERTISEMENT
    Traveling Lady Railfan
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    It's a wonderful romanticized idea to live off the grid, convert your van into your home, travel the country, go with the flow... Also, how do you survive? Life won't just provide for you. It's a wonderful idea to be young and idealistic and free and travel and do all these things that everyone else who has a job and a home and pets and kids and responsibilities look at with a little bit of envy and just say wow, that would be interesting to try. So? Set him free. Like a dandelion poof, off you go. Make sure he doesn't get anything of yours including any of your money and hopefully, not your address or email or phone number either. Bye-bye. Go live your best life. Don't come crawling back to me when you need stability, a house, a shower, a meal....

    TribbleThinking
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    He's already freeloading off you occasionally. Do you get thanks for that, or just the accusation that you're sucking his soul dry (or working to bail his rump out, tomato, tomahto, whatever).

    Robin Roper
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "living off the grid" takes money. Who is going to buy the solar panels, storage batteries, hand powered water pump, etc. Does this guy have land or is he planning on squatting? Who will hunt, grow the food, preserve (drying canning, pickling, salting, etc) the food, who will hunt. This guy is a bum and wants to live his life as a bum; let him, and set him free. Good riddance.

    Grenelda Thurber
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Not to mention, solar panels, storage batteries and hand-powered pumps are all manufactured by large corporations.

    Load More Replies...
    Apatheist Account2
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Just picture how you're going to live off the grid when it comes to needing health care, pensions, holidays etc. It may suit some, but if it doesn't suit you, don't do it. I've just retired aged 62 thanks to my office job - no money worries and young enough to do whatever I want.

    Ace
    Community Member
    Premium
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    I love how these anti-corporate off-gridders ignore the fact that every single item they use is a result of centuries of corporate industrialised society. Where do you think your camper van came from? Your computer, your books, your gun (cos I bet they have them) your food sources, your phone... and dog knows what happens when they get sick and have to get healthcare and d***s that exist as a result of decades of research by big corporations. Hypocrites, the lot of them.

    Terran
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    To be fair, you don't need corporations for any of this. They are merely the organisational structure that developed and acquired the means to develop and produce. What you really need is the people who actually put in the labour required to develop and produce. But the end result is the same, living off grid is romanticised and mostly delusional.

    Load More Replies...
    Terran
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This guy never spent a single minute thinking about the actual implications of going off grid. I know people who do/did and they all work a lot. Like more hours than they would as "corporate drone" in my country. But he probably needs to experience this for himself and OP already understands that this is a shítty idea.

    whiterabbit
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gotta love those people who think they should be handed land and the tools they need for shelter and food production and yet they contribute nothing to society. Then they claim capitalism is the problem.

    Paul Rabit
    Community Member
    1 year ago Created by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    Gurl stop dating a boy and start dating a man.

    Load More Comments
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