At one point, IIRC, I thought pain, or at least exhaustion, was meritorious. My mother and grandmother sure did. They’d have contests!
Later, I saw thru that. Play is more productive than work for the same task. Go for the joy. That sort of thing.
But think about it from the perspective of someone with chronic illness, or severely overworked, or in a great deal of emotional pain (death of a spouse or child, or other reasons). You’ll have heard the analogy of spoons (https://www.healthline.com/health/spoon-theory-chronic-illness-explained-like-never-before). Such a person must plan out the amount of effort she’s able to put forth in the day, and allocate it to what she finds most important. And suffering pain does take it out of people.
I’m not ill, but I am getting old (first time I have ever said that!), and I am being gentle with myself now. If there’s something that is really unpleasant, I let myself take major breaks before or after or both.
Yet I still tell students: your work should be joy to you.
At one point, IIRC, I thought pain, or at least exhaustion, was meritorious. My mother and grandmother sure did. They’d have contests!
Later, I saw thru that. Play is more productive than work for the same task. Go for the joy. That sort of thing.
But think about it from the perspective of someone with chronic illness, or severely overworked, or in a great deal of emotional pain (death of a spouse or child, or other reasons). You’ll have heard the analogy of spoons (https://www.healthline.com/health/spoon-theory-chronic-illness-explained-like-never-before). Such a person must plan out the amount of effort she’s able to put forth in the day, and allocate it to what she finds most important. And suffering pain does take it out of people.
I’m not ill, but I am getting old (first time I have ever said that!), and I am being gentle with myself now. If there’s something that is really unpleasant, I let myself take major breaks before or after or both.
Yet I still tell students: your work should be joy to you.
I think both sides are right.