IS FEAR DRIVING US WORK LONG?


 


“You can’t do a good job if your job is all you do.”

Katie Thurmes

 


When we are obsessed with our professional work - work like crazy – we are called ‘workaholics’. Obviously, it is an addiction just as alcohol or any other addiction are. This addiction is self-induced, it comes from our choice…

On the other hand, when we are compelled to work in a similar manner due to the condition at our work places – a ruthless boss or work ethics – then, we cannot call ourselves ‘workaholics’… we are bonded labourers, forced into slavery…

In this Post, I wish to deal with the ‘workaholism’ – the self-induced slavery to work.

Work is very, very important, and, I am an advocate of hard work, long work and smart work – all. But, I know, work is not ‘all’… It is not ‘Life’… It is only a segment of life. Most of us know, by now, that when work becomes our entire life, life becomes endangered… When work goes, Life goes…

So, many of us, learn it the hard way… I did.

I, too, started working like crazy for a significant part of my professional years. As they say, there is a compelling reason why we go about working like that – ignoring everything else in life. For some of us, it may be the financial struggle at home, and for some, it may be the burning obsession to accumulate more… But, whatever it is, one thing, which I became aware of along my path was this: It always comes from our insecurity…

We are frightened to cut down on work, leave alone stop working…

And, then, when we don’t do it on our own, the Nature does… And, it teaches us to ‘come home’…

Work is an important thing in life… But, it is nor ‘Life’ itself… This truth comes home, Sir.





Apparently, Mr. Narayana Murthy has made a statement somewhere, recently, emphasizing, that young men and women must work minimum 72 hours in a week. Well, Mr. Murthy knows what he is saying, and why he is saying. He is a great achiever, and he hasn’t ruined his family life by working even 144 hours a week. So, I am a small man to say anything against his statement. I only want to say this: Let young men and women work hard, long, smart and with all they got… But, let them not lose Life itself, in the bargain…

There is much to Life than our professional work…

My classmate and close buddy, Joe, and I both grew up in identical, hand-to-mouth homes. Our parents were poor and not educated; and they had a herculean challenge to feed, clothe, house and educate so many of their children – 7 in Joe’s house, 5 in mine. So, Joe worked like crazy and set up quite a large business empire in our hometown; and, here, I worked like crazy to raise, what you may call, my own little kingdom. But, mercifully, we both did not lose our way in this maze… We are home!

This morning, Joe shared this funny video….





On a serious note, I remember the three friends in the amazing movie, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’… Each one of them had ‘gone away from home’ carrying in him his own deep-rooted fear… insecurity. I particularly relate to the fear and insecurity which Hritik Roshan had carried in him: WORK!

So, here I share this heart-stopping scene from the movie. Suggest you listen carefully to each line in this scene…





May ‘work’ help all of us to ‘come home’…

 

GERALD D’CUNHA


Pic's: 1. Wallpaper Cave 2. Pixabay

Videos: 1. anomol garg 101 2. Excel Movies

 

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