The Japanese word Karoshi literally means death due to overwork. No wonder the word has origin in the country which records the longest hours of work in the world. But are we all becoming victims to this plague which has become a modern scourge.
It is not that long ago that people spoke of work-life balance. It was considered that you have arrived in life when you work on weekdays and take a vacation or nurture a hobby on weekends. Now, it is become cool to be super-busy.
So often we hear from friends, “Buzz me before you plan anything, I am so busy these days.” Or “Can you send me a reminder for your birthday party, I am so caught up with work these days?” People find it fashionable to post work pictures on Saturday evenings to show that they are so important at work that they cannot be spared even on weekends.
Earlier it was considered a style statement to have a hobby. Whether it is Angelina Jolie’s dagger collection, or gaming by Mila Kunis, or Antonio Banderas’ penchant for fashion designing, it was a luxurious thing to have a hobby.
But now, it has become a culture to overwork. For instance, in India, several hours are wasted on unproductive meetings and phone calls. Reports state that Mr. Modi works 16-18 hours a day.
Vineet Vij, COO of Britannica, 47, committed suicide in May 2016, by jumping off from the 19th floor of his Gurgaon apartment. The police discovered a note in his pocket stating that he was fed up with his life.
Recently the suicide of a 23-year-old man who worked at Tokyo’s new Olympic stadium construction site stemmed from overwork. The amount of overtime was way over 80 hours, a threshold for karoshi.
This is not the first, neither the last instance of stressful life due to over-work. People have all the luxuries of wealth, but no time to enjoy them. This is an ironical twist of faith that technology has made life easier, but left people in an anomic state, where they have been left isolated amidst a crowd.
We need to be aware of these games of time to not overwork ourselves to death. Work should remain a factor in life, not engulf the entire cause of existence.
Why is it becoming cool to over work and not have any hobbies? Even 20 years ago, life was better, the upper management, rich n famous’ personality was measured basis what they did for leisure, not it is opposite – busy is the new cool.
