Show of Hands

Work smart, not hard.

Being productive is a virtue. Hard work can be a part of that, but isn't always.

Sometimes...looking a the end result matters. Working hard at building homes is a virtue. Working hard building crematoriums at Auschwitz was not.

Most of the time I find hard work to be neglectful of yourself (and many others), and sometimes doggedly stupid. I think working efficiently, challenging yourself to improve, and picking yourself up after a failure are virtues. I think quality of work is more important than whether or not you killed yourself to get it done.

But there are some people (like my husband), who don't feel a sense of accomplishment if they do something a little at a time. They feel like they have to do something monumental and hard in order to get the rush of success. This is really a problem - it means they don't feel accomplished in the goal. They feel accomplished in the stress. Which sucks when it comes to things like cleaning the house. 😕

No. It is a necessity.

No, we should do everything possible to cynically exploit the system and maximize our own profit.

That's what they tell slave laborers to keep them from revolting and realizing reality.