Can you guess what terrifies Indian civil servants the most?
Getting a posting with no work to do. And sadly, a lot of these positions do exist.
But why would people want to work more for the same salary? Partly, it could be the sense of importance and ‘power’ that these positions may confer.
However, there is another part to it — humans don’t want to sit idle. We want to do stuff. We want to use our creative ability. We want to strain our intellect a little.
In fact, during a recent vacation, after about 10-12 days, I wanted to run away from the surreal natural beauty around me and get back to work. And had the vacation been extended by a week or two, I would have revolted.
Work is not the problem.
The problem is when the work is meaningless. Or when the office politics is toxic. Or when people are into one-upmanship and backstabbing. Or when there is no support or guidance.
We desperately need work.
If you are unhappy at your workplace, what you need is not early retirement, but better work, better people, or both.
Sitting idle is death sentence for the mind.
– Rajan