201102045 EIT
Se-Kyu Oh (오세규)
The Value of Hard Working
Among Aesop's' fables, there is a well known story about an ant and a grasshopper. The ant worked hard, the grasshopper did nothing and when winter came, the grasshopper regretted playing while the ant prepared for the winter. We all know this story and its lesson; work hard to be prepared for a rainy day. With the help of scientific improvements, life is getting easier. People don't have to work as hard as they did before to prepare for the future. However, it seems that people sometimes take that convenience for granted and forget who we are; we're ants, not grasshoppers. We have to work hard not only to prepare our future, but also to taste the sweetness of leisure. Furthermore, we have to work for those we care.
First, it's important for us to work hard to build a better future. All the scientific developments including timesaving devices we are using now became available because someone worked hard to make those. Our civilization is a result of human's history of working and efforts, not of idleness. Our policy, knowledge, arts, economy, and food are available because we've been working hard. Some might say this society forces us work so much so many people get stressed. Maybe they would point out to the number of workers who become ill or die because of overwork. However, people worked harder and stressed out more before. When there was no tool to help our chores or works, we should contribute more time and efforts to working. More people got ill and stressed or even died because of their harsh works without any help from developed tools. People still get stressed and some get ill or die but the number of people who suffer from their work significantly decreased. It's because of the developments in human civilization and the civilization is the result of our ancestors' hard work.
Second, in order to taste the real sweetness of leisure, we must know the bitterness of hard work. The sweetness of a piece of chocolate can be well appreciated after we swallowed a bitter tasting medicine. Likewise, the value of leisure can be well recognized when we work hard. Some would say taking a rest itself is valuable and would wonder how we can't know the value of our free time. However, if we don't work hard or if we have three, four, or even five or six days of holiday in a week, we will not know the value of leisure. The chances are that we're going to spend our free time doing trivial things. When we have one or two days of holidays, we appreciate those days, plan for a great schedule to enjoy those days fully, and get energy to work after the holidays. In contrary, if we have a long free time, we would probably just sit on a sofa, watch TVs, and take sleep. We will not do valuable things because we think and know that there are more holidays and therefore postpone doing great things; we don't appreciate the value of leisure when we have so many of it.
Third, lastly, we'd better remember that we work for the things and people we care. The reason why we're working so hard is because we have things we never want to lose or things we want to achieve. Each of us has dream and purpose that makes us work. Some would work to take care of their kids, parents, or lovers. Some would work for themselves to achieve reputation, money, or self-satisfaction. Some say the only reason they work is to survive, not to die because of starving. However, that accounts for only a significantly small portion. Most of us work to achieve something, something we care. If we work less, we have fewer chances to make our dreams.
It's true that we're working hard enough and maybe some people are overworking than needed or recommended. However, at the same time, we also have enough leisure time. If we have more leisure time than now and needed, we would not make a better world for us and for our kids, we would have a hard time appreciating the value of the leisure, and we would lose what we take care of, something that makes us work and live. We're ants, not grasshoppers. Remember that in Aesop's' fable, only the ant survived, built a better future for himself, and enjoyed his leisure with whom he takes care of.
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