Dear Jemo,
In the past, a person’s profession was only a small part of their life. Today, we raise children telling them that success in their profession is life’s only goal. As a result, children lose interest in everything except their careers. Even a small setback at work makes them feel that life itself is over. When we instill an obsession with studies in children, it eventually turns into an obsession with work.
I am writing this based on my experience of observing four or five young friends in recent times. A person’s success or failure in their profession does not depend on them alone. The organization they work for, the opportunities available there, and many other factors play a major role. The way the global environment changes also has a significant impact.
Only after all that do a person’s individual abilities come into play. Someone who works extremely hard may still fail if they lack good communication skills. Someone who produces excellent results may not achieve the success they deserve if they lack self-confidence. There are countless such factors.
But young people who know only about their own abilities often spend their lives lamenting that they never found the right opportunity. As a result, they remain under severe mental stress all the time. We work in order to live; we do not live in order to work. If someone believes that work alone is life’s success and happiness, they will never truly find fulfillment.
It is not society that creates this obsession with work in this generation. It is the companies that employ them. These companies make profits by turning their employees into machines that work. The proper response to this is to give those companies only as much work as they require from us, while keeping the remaining time for ourselves, and seeking our own happiness and sense of success. We should cultivate interests in other areas where our talents can find expression. We also need places and activities that bring joy to our hearts.
This simple truth needs to be taught to young people again and again through educational institutions.
S. Santhanakrishnan
