Although he had the power to distribute his time based on his preference, he had great
psychological pressure from “the threat, urgency, and uncertainty” (7 Boin) behind the
decision as well: he feared that he made a wrong choice which would make him lose his
fortune and status overnight, changing him from a nobility to a common person, hunted
and cursed by future generation. As a result, he kept worrying about his nation every
minute and didn’t have any freedom of thoughts at all.
But sometimes, decision makers are controlled by both their time and their
thoughts. For some entrepreneurs, they have to devote most of their time in work as the
role model of their workers in order to promote their enthusiasm. Recently in China,
“996” generates a hot discussion, meaning working from nine o’clock in the morning to
nine o’clock in the evening, 6 days per week. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba group,
bolstered in the interview that “employees who get the ‘opportunity’ to work according the
‘996’ schedule are the lucky ones, because in many companies employees don't get the
chance to work long hours” ('996'). Similarly, Liu Qiangdong, the founder of JD.com,
claimed to endorse this work style and work strength, maintaining that “he now follows a
‘8116+8’ schedule (8 am to 11 pm, six days a week, and 8 hours on Sunday, with only two
days off a month)” ('996') and hoped his employees could work as hard as him. The thirst
to succeed and the pursuit of fame and wealth cause them to sacrifice their freedom on
time and mind and fling themselves on their careers.
After a day’s hard work, people might spend their free time in joining associations.
In work and business, people are controlled by time or their thoughts and restricted by
rules and traditions, while in associations. For instance, if people don’t show up in work-
places for several days without asking for leave, their bosses will definitely criticize them,
deduct their wages, or even expel them. However, if they join an association, they don’t
necessarily attend every activity and arrive on time; instead, they have a more flexible
schedule and could go whenever having available time. Plus, unlike workers, members
feel free to leave whenever no longer having the desire to stay, known as the “ability to
exit”, which refers to that “workers volunteer to sign a contract in the first place and are
free to quit whenever they want” (Malleson 5). “The ability to exit” also embodies in
Fight Club, in which the narrator joins several support groups for his insomnia therapy.
The activities start according to the schedule. Nobody is coerced to participate in, and no
one performs a roll call or records the absence. Until one day the narrator no longer needs
the support groups for treatment and takes part in the Fight Club, he could make the
decision with no pressure and without the consent of anyone else. For associations like the
support groups, it is the loose structure that makes people have more sense of freedom and
attracts them to attend.