"is spent" vs "is being spent"

Question

My life is spent in accordance with capitalist doctrine.
My life is being spent in accordance with capitalist doctrine.

Are there any differences between the sentences above? If there are, could you please explain them to me? Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

My life is being spent in accord with the capitalistic doctrine.

Adding the word being tends to imply some sort of active presentness. It means that right now, the spending is happening, has been happening, and will continue to happen. It is slightly more emotional.

My life is spent in accord with the capitalistic doctrine.

The sentence without being feels slightly more detached. It is a statement of fact, and while it is in the present tense, it gives an impression of more overview and less "now."

Answer 2

These are both passive forms of two forms of the present tenses.

Present continuous passive:

is being spent

Present indicative passive

is spent

I don't agree with Friendly Racoon's suggestion of an 'emotional' aspect. The present continuous simply indicates something happening right this second and continuing to happen, whereas the present indicative indicates something that happens more abstractly in the present, but may not be happening right this second.

It is much clearer in other contexts, and in the active voice.

I play tennis.

Means: I play tennis regularly, have done in the past, and will do in the future, but I may not be playing tennis right this second.

I am playing tennis.

Means: I am in the middle of a game, stop distracting me!

In the context of 'spending one's life', to be honest the difference hardly matters. Again, let's put it in the active voice.

I spend my life in accordance with capitalist doctrine.

Means: My whole life is all about money.

I am spending my life in accordance with capitalist doctrine.

Means: My whole life is all about money.

The reason is that 'a life' unlike a game, is something that goes on a long time, and which cannot stop and start, like one's sporting hobbies. The end result is that there is no significant difference in meaning between either of your sample sentences.