Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • g93 6/22 pp. 3-4
  • Working Hard—What Are the Consequences?

No video available for this selection.

Sorry, there was an error loading the video.

  • Working Hard—What Are the Consequences?
  • Awake!—1993
  • Similar Material
  • Does Hard Work Bring Happiness?
    The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—1989
  • Working Hard—When It Is a Virtue
    Awake!—1993
  • Working Hard—Hazardous to Your Health?
    Awake!—1993
  • How to Enjoy Hard Work
    The Watchtower Announcing Jehovah’s Kingdom—2015
See More
Awake!—1993
g93 6/22 pp. 3-4

Working Hard​—What Are the Consequences?

By Awake! correspondent in Japan

“‘STAMINA drinks’ have become hugely popular, with more than 200 brands available and total sales of 900 million yen a year,” reports Mainichi Daily News, Japan’s leading newspaper. The popularity of these products, which are said to provide instant energy boosts for fatigued workers, “attests to the Japanese drive to perform on the job despite stress, lack of sleep and stifling summer weather,” continues the report.

On the other side of the Pacific, “nearly one American in eight reported working 60 hours or more a week,” according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those who hold middle management positions find it necessary to devote so much of their time and energy to work that their job sometimes becomes the controlling factor in their lives.

In nearly every culture, individuals who are industrious, conscientious, and hardworking are extolled as virtuous. Even an ancient Bible writer said: “With a man there is nothing better than that he should eat and indeed drink and cause his soul to see good because of his hard work. This too I have seen, even I, that this is from the hand of the true God.” (Ecclesiastes 2:24) By and large, people everywhere still subscribe to such values. Whether they consider it virtuous or not, most people work from morning till night, five, six, or even seven days a week.

What, though, has all this hard work achieved? In countries such as Japan and Germany, the economic “miracles” brought about since the end of World War II are the envy of developing nations. Both nations rose from defeat to become economic powers that the rest of the world has to reckon with. However, what has devotion to work done to many individuals?

Although the standard of living in Japan has gone up considerably, the Mainichi Daily News reports, most Japanese “still find it difficult to feel any real sense of affluence in their daily lives.” Worse still, in their relentless pursuit of the so-called good life, many are falling ill or even dying from excessive work and stress. Similarly, in a study in the United States, one third of three thousand managers surveyed felt that they work too hard, were burned-out, and could find no enthusiasm for their work.

Workingwomen are also sending out distress signals. An Italian survey revealed that workingwomen in that country labor an average of 30 hours more than their mates each week. In addition to spending long hours in the office or factory, they have to care for household chores when they return home. A female worker confessed to the magazine Europeo: “My social life is practically nonexistent. I have no time for myself. I can’t take it any more.”

What about family life? “In chasing the American dream, we’re sacrificing self and family for money and power,” says Herbert Freudenberger, a New York specialist in dealing with work burnout. As a result of their husbands’ being wrapped up in work, some wives of British businessmen who work abroad reportedly feel isolated and unhappy. But in this they are by no means alone.

Consider the consequences to family life in Japan, where less than half of all middle-aged white-collar workers get home before eight in the evening. Some wives have already given up on their husbands as real marriage mates; they no longer want them around any more than they are. A television commercial summarizes the wives’ disappointment, saying: “Husbands are best healthy and away from home.”

From the foregoing, it is clear that working hard has both a positive side and a negative side. When taken to the extreme, it can become a liability. So how can working hard be, not a burden, but a real virtue and a source of happiness?

On the other hand, just how serious is it when individuals put work ahead of all else or push ahead at all costs? Let us take a closer look at these aspects of working hard.

    English Publications (1950-2026)
    Log Out
    Log In
    • English
    • Share
    • Preferences
    • Copyright © 2025 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
    • Terms of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Privacy Settings
    • JW.ORG
    • Log In
    Share