Koroshi--Do we work to live, or live to work?

Our economy is booming, yet our traditional social structures are disintegrating.

Attached to our technology 24/7 with laptops, blackberries and mobile phones, we've become a stressed out and anxious society. Families, friends and our health are all suffering. Many are changing their priorities for a more balanced life. The decision by a lot of CEOs to give up their posts for a simpler existence are recent high-profile example. They've bought some plot of land and become farmers.

No longer are we working to live, but living to work, and the adjunct effect for many is an increasing bout of affluenza, which is described as "a painful, contagious, socially transmitted condition of overload, debt, anxiety and waste resulting from the dogged pursuit of more". "More" seems to be a synonym of "better," but is it? We've become seduced by the dollar and materialism and chasing an elusive dream. Don't we see the lottery craze booming? "We need more money" soars in the air. We breathe in and inhale it when we walk on the street.


Why are we falling prey to this work-addicted society, and why are so many of us opting to bail out of high stress and demanding work environments? We work long hours, more than the Germans, more than the Americans — who generally only have one or two weeks annual leave — more even than the Japanese who are famous for this phenomenon called Koroshi, or death by overwork. But is our economy better? Are we increasing our Per Capita GDP (gross domestic product)? And you have to ask yourself 'Why?' 'Why are you overworking?" And there is only one really persuasive answer and that is we want more money. We need money to pay our credit debt, house mortgage payment, children's schooling tuition, among others.


But now when we are aware of the situation we are in, more and more people also explore how the workplace needs to change to retain a healthy and productive workforce, as more and more of us are changing our priorities for a more balanced life. Don't you think so?