Well, different people want different things in life.
For some people, their work IS their life. For these people, to put time into work IS to put time into themselves. Work is their sole meaning in life, there is simply nothing else that they find worth doing. This could be due to a lack of personal development, or alternatively, the
result of personal development. That is, they reflected on their lives and
decided to devote themselves to work. There are countless of possible reasons for this.
Why do some people prioritise work over family?
* Possibly because they come from messed up families and have no emotional attachment at all.
* Possibly because they're messed up in the head and don't care at all for their families despite being raised in a normal household.
* Possibly because they
think that spending money on their family equates to giving them a good life, whilst forgetting the emotional aspect of family ties and the importance of spending time with them.
The list goes on.
Why do some people prioritise work over play?
* Possibly because they think play does not lead to any productive outcomes, and is therefore not worth wasting time on even though it is fun.
* Possibly because they don't just derive satisfaction and fun from games and activities, so they would rather choose to do something productive.
* Possibly because their work IS their play. That is, they enjoy their work and gain the same satisfaction, entertainment and engagement that others gain from play.
There are countless other reasons.
Finally, the idea of "meaningless things" that people spend on: what is meaningless to you may not be meaningless to others. There can be a lot of meaning for people in brands and luxury that to others is completely frivolous and a waste of money.
For instance:
* Possibly because they are lacking something in their lives and are using materialistic goods to compensate.
* Possibly because they just enjoy the finer things in life.
* Possibly because they are very passionate about certain topics (e.g. sports) so they are very much interested in and willing to spend on related luxury goods (e.g.
spending 10k for a pair of sports shoes).
As long as people know what they want, and they're actively working towards achieving it, then it's all good.
The why's are very interesting to know, but unless it affects you directly, there is no need to judge.