Moreover, in a society that “lives to work,” where one’s job is such a central component of one’s identity, the loss of work is more destabilizing than in a culture where one “works to live,” as in Europe. Americans’ perspective on retirement is highly revealing: they are afraid of it.
进一步来说，对一个有着“工作就是生活”哲学的社会里，一个人的工作是证明个人身份的重要标签。如果失去工作，在他们眼里就是很大的事情。而在那种奉行“为了生活而工作”哲学的社会，例如欧洲，没有工作相对来说没那些可怕。美国人对于退休的态度就可见一斑，他们害怕退休，因为一旦退休之后，他们如何安排自己的生活呢？