In a different time, under different assumptions, meritocracy can happen. Working and working a lot in that kind of environment, enriches yourself, your company and society, without a downside.

Overtime you put in, may be more work, but it’s temporary, necessary, because you in your job doing the overtime, helps orders of magnitude more, in critical situations, than other people can, or maybe there is actually nobody else to do the job and the job doesn’t get done. E.g. specialized surgeons saving lives. And that effort and overtime would be recognized and rewarded under those assumptions as well.

Somebody who has worked extraordinary amounts, would have put in extraordinary effort. They would be community champions.

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It’s important to recognize that clash of assumptions.

seek so much escapism to be away from dealing with the bleak, always-gloomy mentality of work.

His words, or yours?