The Jugglery

Recently came across this Twitter Thread about fathers and their constant (and mostly losing) struggle to “have it all” (Link). While still at the early stages of this struggle, something about the theme really resonated.

We keep talking about the having a Work-Life Balance – the El Dorado of the modern corporate “culture”, the promised land, also our biggest illusion ever? Work-life is not a balance but more akin to jugglery, trying (desperately at times) to not drop the balls.

But why does the balance go kaput? Because of work emergencies, urgent submissions & exigencies! According to Oxford Dictionary, an emergency is “a sudden serious and dangerous event or situation which needs immediate action to deal with it”. How many of us work in situations where this dictionary definition of emergency comes up? So, why does “work emergency” keep constantly intruding into people’s personal spaces? Responding with a "No" is difficult, because in a country with a billion plus population, you can be easily replaced by a thousand others at half of your salary! 

So the struggle continues but never give up the fight. But as the thread concludes, remember the old adage “Work, no matter how stimulating and rewarding, will never love you back”. And its just an enabler for life and not the other way round! We need to keep juggling, but also prioritize which balls to keep up in the air for the longest.

P.S. And the thread also has lots of (super-cute) cartoons of a father and his little girl!