"Americans have always been a work-focused people. And despite the fact that this stresses us out immensely (Americans report feeling more stressed than citizens of other nations, and we also suffer from more heart disease and other stress-related health problems than others), we report feeling happiest when at work. In fact, if we had more free time, surveys suggest that the majority of us would fill it with more work. We have a very difficult time unplugging, and many of our technological advances have ensured that we don't have to. Cell phones, e-mail, laptops, jet travel, and hotels wired with wi-fi all allow the capability to be at work all the time, even on vacation. Part of it might be what Hoffman refers to as our quest for 'big promotions, big money, big homes' and that fear that came with knowing that 'if you didn't succeed in "making it," as the colloquial phrase had it, you had only yourself to blame.'"
Jessa Crispin in The Smart Set reviews Eva Hoffman's Time.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment