Monday, June 29, 2015

Work Hard, Play Hard

Ever since I heard that, if I did not 'Work Hard, Play hard', I was not really living, I have been having nightmares from which I wake up in cold sweat and shiver for the rest of the night. Avoiding the need to work hard has always been my lifetime ambition. Just the idea of working makes me feel fatigued. In fact, I rather think that 'work hard' is a redundancy - working IS hard for me, anyway. Anything I enjoy doing I used to call play.

Which is the reason for my nightmares. Play Hard! Hitherto, I had the impression (mistaken, I am sure, as I am on most things) that playing was something you do as a leisure activity and, thus, it was something that you do in a leisurely manner, and by choice. In fact, I had sort of developed the idea that what you did from necessity was work; what you did by choice was play - without regard to which you were getting paid for (Ever heard of any man think that mowing the lawn was play, even if he did not get paid for it?). Apparently it is not so - you HAD to play hard (AND it is NOT play hard to get, which is merely a game). So, the moment you took off from office you had to start playing. So, choice cannot be the determinant of what constitutes play.

Playing what? I mean, hitherto, my idea of play was to listen to music, watch movies on TV or read a book. Would that do? And if it does constitute 'play', would that also count as 'play hard'? Maybe I should figure out a way to play the zip files, instead of the MP3; to watch movies on fast-forward; and to skim-read books, jumping ten words for every word I read so that I can qualify as one who is 'playing hard'. It is a hard thing to ask a middle-aged (Old? Well, in THIS context, I will accept old) man to suddenly change his habits but, as I ought to know (but don't), Life is not fair. (I know, maybe even my gossiping with friends ought to be in Twitterese, but THAT I do not think I can do. I mean, I cannot even see the logic - maybe saying 'LOL' instead of actually laughing may be faster but, for the life of me, I cannot see that saying 'Gee Enn' instead of 'Good Night' will be any faster, especially considering that I would also waste some time in thinking of it. So, it will only end up with my wasting precious time, which could have been used to play something else hard.)

Or am I totally wrong in assuming that these things even constitute play? Maybe the only thing that constitutes play is chasing balls of various sizes and shapes, across various shapes of grounds, with various implements. Too late for me. I would have groaned with self-pity at my utter inability to be WITH IT - but for the fact that I am reasonably sure that, if any such redefinition applied, it would only mean that you did all that chasing the ball by twiddling your thumbs over a handset - something that I can possibly learn. If only my eyes would permit it!

There is this variation - 'Party Hard' - and, maybe, when people said 'play' they thought ONLY of parties as play. This, I could possibly do but...wait...would they accept it as 'play hard' if I merely perched on a bar-stool and sipped a beer. Was I supposed to do twenty gyrations a minute on the dance floor and drink twice as much in half the time? AND, if as a consequence of the combination of both these activities, I end up barfing hard, would that elevate me to the ranks of the super-achievers?

Now, you understand why I wake up with nightmares. This 'play hard' business is stressing me out. It must be my age but you must forgive me if I find it too much like...err...work.

24 comments:

  1. I don't know who comes up with these crazy headlines. They irk me. For one, they are clearly setting a very bad example for people. Work hard is fine; why should play/party hard be considered cool or trendy? Whatever happened to good old rest? :)

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    1. Exactly! if I think 'Work Hard' is a redundancy, I consider 'Play Hard' a oxymoron :)

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  2. Rachna's apt remark already has the answer to her question hidden there!
    Those who have coined 'play/party hard' are not aware of the bliss in 'good old rest' ;)
    They need to read "On Doing Nothing" by J.B.Priestley...

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    1. And "In Praise of Idleness" by Bertrand Russell :)

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  3. Hahaha! Indeed these are some more confusing ideas that are taking over the modern mindset - play hard, party hard, work hard! What do they even mean? Really? I like how you deconstruct each of these phrases. And I envy you your lifelong ambition :D Now why I didn't I think of that one before? But no worries, I still have a few decades left (hopefully!), I will make that as my ambition now.

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  4. i have seen those work hard play hard people. they do play hard but they don't work at all. they just pretend to be working hard. but good for them if they can actually achieve that.

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    1. You actually SAW that species? :) I have only seen people who ADVOCATED it, not someone who really practised it :)

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  5. Yes play hard is certainly oxymoronish--trust you to reduce everything to shreds.You will not admit it,but you do think HARD.

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    1. Ask my friends - they will say that I hardly think :)

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  6. hahaha....I think they should change the phrase to "play hard when you hardly work" and "work hard and hardly play"! someone who can actually do both, truly has to be superhuman! or maybe they actually expect you to gyrate as you take that sip...and make the phrase good!

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    1. I am having enough trouble understanding what 'Play Hard' means and you throw so many googlies at me :)

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  7. Extremely stressful indeed ! This work hard-party hard always brought up images of adrenalin charged geeks with eyes sozzled with overwork or drinks :)

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    1. And getting equally stressed about having to party as about having to work :)

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  8. Succulent as always... Loved this one Surest ji... :)

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  9. It is a term coined for the YOLO generation . The you only live once for the uninitiated . The clock is ticking. You are on a deadline until - death. So when you read and sip tea in your free Sunday , you know that in a few hours it will end. All of a sudden the need to multitask fun, multiply the play time by playing hard. It's the problem. That's why we have meditation yoga and detox. A break from all that hard days work and play .

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    1. Ah! So you first create a problem for yourself and then find a solution for it? :) Interesting idea :)

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  10. the idea of working hard tires me out ...
    and I have never played hard enough.
    Doesn't play means something easy breezy ..

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    1. THAT precisely was the point of this post :)

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  11. They are hell bent on ensuring that nothing is easy in this world. Not even playing, that thing we were supposed to relax with.

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    1. Life is earnest - how can they allow you to play at ease :)

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  12. I think this term has only been created by managers and bosses to get their employees to work harder and harder and then to provide them with the proverbial carrot to play hard with.

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    1. Perhaps! The funny thing is how well they have succeeded in selling the idea to their victims :)

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