after my daily swim at trinity bellwoods in toronto, i met some men and from one of them heard an amazing tale.
this fellow has a friend, you see. and the friend moved to germany. the friend is some kind of an engineer and likes to put in long hours.
he was stymied in his desires. when he arrived at the german company he was given a ten page book of work rules. highlights include.
- no eating lunch at your desk. a fireable offense.
- obligatory half hour of socializing in the lounge with co-workers after lunch. not a fireable offense but warnable.
- mandatory six week holidays. not taking everyday of your holidays and sneaking into work to put in extra time, again a fireable offense.
the taleteller went on to relate that he had two weeks holiday and worked five twelve hour shifts a week in the automotive industry.
no wonder most in southern ontario are stark raving mad, desperate creatures badly dressed, with frayed nerves and (in the case of the women) unfinished or absent makeup.
no rest for the weary, no respite for joy.
they are astonished that somewhere on earth people take their lunches, enjoy vacations.
life as it is meant to be lived. you go to work, work hard, finish your work. go home or go out. enjoy your family and friends.
still not convinced?
allow me a simple metaphor.
games have rules and so should life. there should only be so many hours the players (employees) should be allowed to put in. anything more is really cheating and ruining the game for everyone.