The paradox of work for work's sake.

Aldous Huxley once wrote "They intoxicate themselves with work so they won't' see how they really are."  That stung me when I first read it years ago, but tonight burying myself in work sounds pretty good.

Life can get overwhelming, and stay overwhelming long enough to need a rest; time to step back and recover so one can look at what's vexing them with fresh eyes.  Some of the problems we create for ourselves are just too big to solve in one sitting.  What better to bury yourself in that work?  The side effects include respect, money, opportunity for others, a good-night's sleep...There are definitely worse things to intoxicate oneself with!

I guess the difference between the healthy imbibing of over-working and "workaholism" (not a fan of the term but it fits here) is knowing what you are about and why you are doing it.  Blindly driving yourself into oblivion is what it is regardless of the vehicle you choose (nightlife, work, alcohol, thrill-seeking, obsessive parenting, cause-following, etc.).  It is categorically bad.  However, there is a proper time to over-do.  I decided that my life was about growth, contribution, and fun (in that order) years ago, and after emotionally exhausting myself today,  ceasing the dialogue in my mind and getting busy making cool stuff sounds fantastic.

It may have been Churchill who first said "There are two kinds of drinking problems: those that drink too much, and those who do not drink enough".  While that is more of a dubious affirmation for imbibers than a real revelation of truth, it would be hard to argue against that statement if one replaced "drinking" with "over-working".  Stay balanced, my friends.