Life lessons from the Flintstones

Ever since I started working as a software engineer in the mid-90’s, I’ve been struck by how many people seem to treat their jobs essentially like Fred Flintstone, as depicted in this intro to the classic cartoon series:

I’ve never been content to be one of those “Fred Flintstone” people – putting in the bare minimum time at a joyless job and leaving right when the whistle blows with a cry of “Yabba Dabba Doooo!” even though that boulder you just spent the last hour dragging up the side of the hill is gonna fall right back down again when you let go. Somehow I just can’t bring myself to leave the office with tasks left unfinished, and it always troubles me when I’m forced to abandon projects midway for business reasons.

While my fabled Minnesota work ethic has earned me a well-deserved reputation as a loyal employee, sometimes I think, hmmm…. maybe Fred had his priorities straight after all. Look at how eager and happy he is to jump in his car and drive home to his loving family.

In fact, I think it’s Yabba Dabba Doo time right about now.

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