I’ve heard the phrase “the grind never stops” many times over the past few years. The irony increases with each episode.
Also, since the new school year started, I heard from many of my friends, “It’s okay, I’m just tired.” Even on good days when I don’t have as much work to do, I feel more relieved that I have nothing to do than true happiness. I wondered why I felt this way when so many other people were going through similar ups and downs.
The literal meaning of “the grind” means that something is steadily crushed under constant pressure, but the concept is not new. The grind is characterized by slow, monotonous work that never ends. It’s a machine whose gears don’t match.
The real question is, where does this begin? It begins with a child being told that he or she must grow up to become something. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it will be the norm for years to come. As children grow older and become more aware of society’s expectations, their options become clearer. Either you get a job and become a productive member of society, or you become a miserable failure.
I’m always amazed at how little I feel like I’ve accomplished something, even after a full day of classes, work, and homework. Maybe nothing went wrong, but it seems like I made a mistake in my calculations somewhere. If you feel anything, it’s definitely not socially productive.
Being “productive” and “contributing” to the world means making money. For some, the equation for productivity includes college. However, college almost always requires a large initial cost, and if you can’t afford the initial cost, you will then go into debt with the hope that it will all be paid back in the end. College is an investment – only if you can afford it.
We all live in our “prime years” behind the scenes of financial success. If we try hard enough, we will achieve it someday. But how far will it go? Are we working for ourselves, or is it a society that values how much we can give? Being a productive member of society means spending money, saving money, borrowing money, lending money, and worshiping money. It’s the foundation of hustle culture.
The harder you work, the more valuable you become. Money is always the key. Specifically, it’s about thinking about ways to increase your money in the shortest possible period of time. If we’re lucky, we’re told we can work hard enough to earn that next big paycheck and impress our bosses with our unwavering work ethic.
It is clear that the foundations of this belief are being worn away by the ever-turning cogs of the machine. Why should someone who works to survive need to feel like they are devoting their life to a job that places a monetary value on their worth? That’s why students feel the burden of their future. We are already tired of the work that we know is preparation for the next stage of life.
Hustle culture wants to look toward a vague future where we can have everything we want, and it tries to convince everyone that if we keep walking down the path of constant exhaustion, we’ll reach the end of the road with happiness. Masu.
Are we all trying desperately to achieve a life that inevitably leads to burnout? I always believed that a work ethic was a badge to be worn with honor. Are you always working? Worthy of praise. Will you take on every opportunity that comes your way? I would have rolled over right away and let someone else have it. It’s hard just to maintain that mindset.
Living our lives with the mindset of doing more, being more, and getting more, we all become people who greet each other with “I’m fine, but I’m tired” every day. It will become. Why is every emotion accompanied by depletion?
There are many things I want to do in this life. But I, and many others, never allow ourselves to just be.