Sure, we all like to feel superior to our fellows, but I think even in isolation most people would get an itch to do something.

Going home at lunch time just means you can do something else the rest of the day. Maybe that's a second job if you don't have the idea yourself, maybe it's building the Sagrada Familia.

I don't think our busyness, our frantic silly constantly doing stuff is really a sign of much. It seems very hopeful to me that Keynes' grandchildren (and great great grandchildren) have chosen to do things -- even if most of the things strike me as foolish.