Saturday, April 30, 2005

Hard work...bah!

I find this phrase really irritating. It is one phrase that has been used so extensively that it has become more a symbol than a phrase. Haven't we all been grilled into it all through our schooling and possibly beyond? Right from babyhood, I have been told over a million times, "Karthik, you have to do hard work?!" (grammatically incorrect statement, in the first place) by a million people. The phrase has yielded into a cliché. It has become the unquestionable, indisputable universal mantra for success. So much that, if you pick up a resume and scroll down to the Strengths section, the first line you would probably see is, "I am a hard working individual."

In my opinion, the phrase "hard work" is very negative in implication. First of all, why should you work "hard"? When would some work be hard on you? Only when you don?t like what you are doing. So "hard work" fundamentally suggests that the work at hand is despicable. Thats a totally incorrect school of thought. You have to be taught to enjoy the work you do. Once you start enjoying your work, it would no longer be hard on you.

What does hard work really mean anyway? How can we fathom the "hard" in our work? If you ask me, none of us work hard. We only work to the extent we can, nothing more. Of course, if you mean sitting up late into the night and not watching TV for hours, yes, but it still cannot be classified as "hard". You are doing it only because you are conscious of the bigger implications. I agree, it could be mighty infuriating to study network protocols when Federer is taking on Roddick in center-court, but here is no good in explicitly preparing you for it. So is concept of "hard work" essentially framed for fortifying to face that moment? This once again leads us to the same idea of "work-loathing" mentioned in the previous paragraph.

I think we have to emphasize on the sincerity with which we work, rather than how hard we work. The seriousness in our efforts to complete a work must be highlighted. Satisfying ourselves that full justice has been done to the work at hand, is far more rewarding, rather than thinking about how hard it had been on us.

6 comments:

Harish said...

I thikn it all boils down to one's take on life. One can work to live or live to work. And of course, one can just not work too much - and take things as they come! :P

the k factor said...

@Sup...

Haha...
Message recieved loud and clear..

"You have mis-interpreted my message"

May be the line "Once you start enjoying your work, it would no longer be hard on you." was misleading...I was only talking about the usage of the phrase "hard work' nothing else...

Me said...

ippo lam enna yarum hardwork pannu nu solradhu kadayadhu ippo ellam work smarter dhan ;)

Anonymous said...

If work is seen as a pleasurable activity never does it seem hard... but the reality is that most of us have jobs that is never our choice and do it for the sake of money or the associated perks it brings along with it and work starts becoming cumbersome and hard work...

the k factor said...

@Me..

Yeah...thats true...value added work is what matters. You've got to be conscious of what u r going, why u r doing and how much its going to help u, is it worthwhile, what is the nominal time and effort that can be spent on it...

@ Anonymous...

Exactly my point too...

Anonymous said...

WORK HARD sounds good... but its either - work hardly or hardly work that sound more good ... hehe...