More than any other age in recent history, we are bound by the idol of productivity. We worship those who get up early, work until midnight, and proudly gauge their value by the number of emails they send and deadlines they meet. But isn't this a Faustian deal?
Unfortunately, we are finding that many people are mortgaging the very foundation of existence—health itself—in their heedless quest for professional glory.
Take the heart-breaking example of a brilliant engineer who doubled his salary every two years. The engineer was a gold medallist from IIT Bombay and a Microsoft star performer.
This story is currently making the rounds on the internet. His diligence served as an example for those aspiring to be like him, and his resume was the envy of his peers.
Nevertheless, he died of a heart attack at the unreasonably young age of thirty-two. If not the poisonous results of relentless ambition, what does such a story represent?
The medical data is alarming. As a sobering reminder of the deadly consequences of overwork, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that ischemic heart disease claims the lives of over 7,45,000 people annually.
Working more than 55 hours a week raises the risk of heart disease by 17% and stroke by 35%, according to a 2021 study published in Environment International.
Cardiologists warn of an epidemic in India, the most populous country in the world: according to a 2019 Indian Heart Association report, stress, sedentary lifestyles, and a poor work-life balance were the main causes of heart attacks, which affected nearly 50% of patients under the age of 50.
Furthermore, these tragedies are not limited to a single location. It was made clear that hustle culture is a worldwide problem by the notorious case of Moritz Erhardt, a 21-year-old intern at Bank of America in London, who passed away after allegedly working 72 hours nonstop. In Japan, the term "karoshi," which means "death by overwork," has become both a diagnosis and a dirge.
Therefore, we need to question the very culture that we have normalized. The purpose of work is to enhance life, not to replace it. Ambition needs to be balanced with relaxation, hard work with leisure, and play with productivity. In the end, success without health is a hollow triumph—an epitaph rather than an accomplishment.
Our society must value balance and acknowledge that, in the equation of life, health is the only unchangeable factor if it hopes to prevent its brightest minds from being sacrificed on the altar of burnout.
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