Pracoholizm - droga do sukcesu, czy choroba społeczna? - Workaholism - a way to success or a social disease?

In all the developed countries, and in those where free market economy is just being introduced, one can notice an acceleration of the pace of life. Nowadays people do day and night shifts and relax only when they have a day-off, and not when they are tired. It leads up to the disruption of the rhythm of life. An increasing number of suicides, social pathology and frustration is evidence. The thesis of the technological revolution saying: 'Faster means better', does not turn out to be useful. Man has to realize that he is limited in physical, mental and spiritual sense. To be a creative person does not mean being workaholic. Workaholics are often people who are victims of profession, and who completely destroy their private lives. Work is the most important thing for them. Their work enters into all lanes of private life. Success in life means for them a success in work and that is why they strive for perfection. Workaholism has recently become a real problem. We work too much, and thus have less time for our friends and family. Workaholism is connected with a wish to achieve success. Young people who really want to achieve it, work flat out. Unfortunately, it sometimes leads to heart diseases at a young age. Working for money, they build for themselves a prison full of gold which actually is not worth much. Their most important aim is money. They forget about home and feelings. They work extremely hard in order to be the best to earn more money. The Japanese people may serve us as the best example of a society suffering from the plague of workaholism. They are overworked, they have no more than two or three weeks of holidays per year. The Japanese live in a constant hurry, and as a result, they have the highest suicide rate in the world.

To conclude, I would like to say that the technical revolution has allowed us to work less, but in pursuit of wealth some people choose to work as much as possible in order to become successful, at the expense of things that count in life.

[Arkadiusz Szymczak]