Last week, one of a senior staff in a big cooperation in Shanghai died suddenly while he was working overtime. Incidents like this are not rare today. Despite their enviable salaries and positions, many well-paid white-collar worker are suffering great pressures and various health problems. Depression, chronic diseases and even suicidal tendency are all common syndromes of modern well-paid staff, since well-paying jobs always demand highly. In a materialistic society like ours, most people have a distorted notion of happiness and success that the money earned is the only and the ultimate yardstick against which success and happiness are measured. However, while concerns for money may have improved our work, it barely improves the quality of our life.
The worship of highly paying jobs may deprive us of the time and energy we need to enjoy our life. Friendship, romantic life, family life, etc., all these should be the things we pursue. It is important to realize that a job is only a tool to serve these goals, and it is not the goal itself. So if someone asks me what choice I would make between a job that is well-paying but demands highly and a job that pays moderately but demands lightly, my answer would be the latter.