Your money or your life

We aren't making a living, we are making a dying. Consider the average American worker. The alarm rings at 6:45 and our working man or woman is up and running. Shower. Dress in the professional uniform-suits or dresses for some, overalls for others, whites for the medical professionals, jeans and flannel shirts for construction workers. Breakfast, if there's time. Grab commuter mug and briefcase (or lunch box) and hop in the car for the daily punishment called rush hour. On the job from nine to five. Deal with the boss. Deal with the coworker sent by the devil to rub you the wrong way. Deal with suppliers. Deal with clients/customers/patients. Act busy. Hide mistakes. Smile when handed impossible deadlines. Give a sigh of relief when the ax known as 'restructuring' or 'downsizing' - or just plain getting laid off - falls on other heads. Shoulder the added workload. Watch the clock. Argue with your conscience but agree with the boss. Smile again. Five o'clock. Back in the car and onto the freeway for the evening commute. Home. Act human with mates, kids or roommates. Eat. Watch TV. Bed. Eight hours of blessed oblivion.
And they call this making a living? Think about it. How many people have you seen who are more alive at the end of the work day than they were at the beginning? ... Aren't we killing oureselves - our health, our relationships, our sense of joy and wonder - for our jobs? We are sacrificing our lives for money - but it's happening so slowly that we barely notice.

Joe Dominguez[Your money or Your life]