It's a false economy. You don't have to wait until you're financially independent to find meaningful work that you like doing. I still remember the day ERE Jacob decided to go back to work. He spent all this time justifying his decision. It wasn't the decision he had to justify, it was the previous five years or so he spent not doing work he loved and not making buttloads of money doing it.
The argument against work is that it's soul-sucking and meaningless. Well, you don't have to accept that. There's plenty of things you can do to make work fit into your life, rather than make your life fit into your work.
I don't think this is the kind of dichotomy you're making it out to be. Of course not all work is soul-sucking and meaningless. If you find something fulfilling and enjoyable, great! That's awesome! There's all kinds of options in life, and the great thing is that you don't have to pick just one. MMM seems to be about opening up more options by allowing you to not have to consider revenue in your decision making process.
The argument against work is that it's soul-sucking and meaningless. Well, you don't have to accept that. There's plenty of things you can do to make work fit into your life, rather than make your life fit into your work.