Key Points
Legendary graffiti artist Banksy once painted a fake quote attributed to Greek philosopher Plato on a blue door in Brooklyn: I have a theory that you can make any sentence seem profound by writing the name of a dead philosopher at the end of it Plato.. Recently, a real quote attributed to Indian billionaire NR Narayana Murthy emerged, sounding unbelievable in 2023, a time when progress has been made in terms of rights and labour laws..
This is one reason why people who find Murthys statement offensivedue to their shared experience of working long hours for low paymay not be as upset about the overworked and underpaid domestic helpers in their own homes or the predicament of gig workers delivering items like Diet Coke and McAloo Tikki burgers in just 10 minutes, even on rainy days when the streets are flooded...
In fact, the annual package of Rs 3.5 lakh offered to engineering graduates from distant towns by many multinational companies implies that work may be considered worship, but the prasadam will remain insufficient...
Japans rapid post-World War II economic growth and demanding work schedules, often requiring 12 or more hours a day, 6-7 days a week, contributed to the Karoshi epidemic..
But then, some people do enjoy working to the point of burnout. Existentially speaking, many believe that one may avoid sadness and intrusive thoughts by working excessively and staying busy all the time..
