In “Free to focus” by Michael Hyatt, there’s an interesting point when the author wrote that:

“We are living in a period of what German philosopher Josef Pieper called ‘total work’, where labour drives life, not the other way around. And the results are, honestly, depressing”.

We find ourselves work for longer hours, burnout seems to be so common now, and, to add fuel to the fire, the constant communication supported by technology devices and apps keeps us ‘at work’ almost 24/7. A research in the US shows that 40 percent of respondents check email after 11 at night, and three quarters do it on the weekends.

Whenever I’ve read these statistics, I can’t help but feel amazed by how far we have gone. I remember not long ago I’ve read about how in ancient Greece – Aristotle, one of the most important philosophers, used to consider work was simply “a necessary evil”. In Aristotle’s own words: “the more contemplation, the more happiness there is in a life … while ‘money-making life is something quite contrary to nature … for it is merely useful as a means to something else ... in order to be‑at‑leisure”.

Now, there are many reasons for this dominant role of work in our modern life. But the one that I often think of is the lack of connection with nature, which is the root of our sense of belonging and identity. Surrounded by all the concrete scrapers and crowded people, we seem to constantly live with an insecure feeling nowadays.

And it has definitely changed our perception of work, as it’s now the main thing that brings meaning to our live. We only feel safe when we have a job, so that we can complete something and hopefully to be recognized and praised by others (especially our boss, who we often think as incompetent and lazy and way too demanding).

However, what is even more interesting, is how all that lead us further away from what we want to do. In “Free to Focus”, the author shares such a thought-provoking personal experience:

I mentioned before that I have a long background in publishing. I got into the business long ago because I have always loved books. Charlie Jones used to say “You will be the same person in 5 years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read”. That passion for book is what drove me into publishing, and I developed proficiency in each of my positions as I climbed the corporate ladder. The higher I went, though, the less involved I became in the work of making books.Every promotion led me a little further away from books and a little closer to administration. By the time I became CEO, my job was primarily about finance

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Isn't it astonishing?