Work is a privilege — until it isn't
There’s something both grounding and quietly radical in this thought: Work is a privilege.
And more and more, it really will be.
Until we find new ways to virtualize our lives even further — layering services upon services, services for services, services on top of services for services (you get the idea) — this is how we create value. This is how the proverbial pie gets bigger. And even with AI growing fast and wide, there will still be pockets of value it won't immediately reach. I truly believe that.
But believing in the future of work doesn't mean turning a blind eye to its price.
Because work, while a privilege, comes at a cost — and not just a financial one.
Every task we perform takes something from us. Not necessarily in money. Ideally, we work to gain financial security, not to lose it. But the real cost of work is something else entirely.
It’s the energy we pour into it. The sleep we lose over looming deadlines. The stress we carry around like a second skin. The time we give — willingly or not — that could have gone into something (or someone) else.
These are the hidden costs of work. They don't show up on our payslips, but they add up — sometimes faster than we notice. And of course, these costs aren't the same for everyone.
Some of us seem to thrive under pressure. Or at least, we think we do. Some tolerate chaos better. Some worry less about their health — until it catches up with them.
Our capacity to work isn't just about skill or motivation. It's about what we’re giving up in exchange. Time. Health. Sanity.
In a perfect world, we’d feel like the return outweighs the cost. That we’re putting in a manageable amount of effort and getting back something meaningful — whether that’s money, satisfaction, purpose, or peace of mind.
But sometimes... the math doesn’t add up. Sometimes, the cost is just too high.
Too many hours in traffic. Too many moments missed at home. Too much of you getting spent on something that no longer feeds you.
And as long as we have a choice — however small — we owe it to ourselves to look in the mirror and ask:
Is the way I’m spending my energy really giving me the return I expect?
Because in the end, everything we do is a kind of investment. Of time, attention, health, and heart.