Whether work should be placed as the first priority in life is a widely discussed topic in these days. While a certain number of people side with the view that work undoubtedly is the most vital role in life, there are other people holding the opposing view. Personally, it is my contention that embracing one’s personal interest apart from work is a must for individuals.
One one hand, proponents of devoting to a profession claim that it is the most promising future for everyone. This means that one would gain a large sum of earnings or valuable experiences if one immerse into work. Take a technology tycoon, Steve Jobs, as an example, who devoted his youth to found the Apple company. Therefore, it is acceptable to some extent that financial security and job fulfillments are the prime contributions of prioritizing work over anything.
On the other hand, it is argued that personal well-being and focusing on other hobbies are also essential in life, which I agree with. The meaning of life cannot be complete only with the work life: it is also defined by other intangible factors such as life satisfaction, happiness, building special bonds with beloved people and so on. Although workaholics may lead a financially successful life. It is indisputable that those people experience mental exhaustions sooner or later in life due to the pressure driven by the demand of competent performances in their workplaces. For example, in Japan and Korea, where the work culture is competitive to a large extent, a certain number of employees are committing suicide annually because they barely enjoy their lives.
To conclude, even though there are some valid reasons for people being workaholics, I believe that exploring leisure and pursuing other personal interest are crucial in life. If there is no recreation or one cannot find out what defines life apart form work, living would not be enjoyable and thrilling .
