Is Too Much Emphasis Put on Work in Modern Society?
2011年度第2回英検1級英作文問題
Let me explain why I think that we put too much emphasis on work today from the following three viewpoints.
First, global competition is forcing us to work harder. Many losers in the competition for international business have withdrawn and collapsed. Today, our corporate rivals are not only firms in Japan but in China, India, and other nations where people can be hired more cheaply. As a result, competition is getting harder…which is why we are working harder than before.
Second, such severe competition not only makes us work harder, but also puts our workers under a lot of pressure. This leads to health becoming a big problem. More and more people are suffering from physical problems such as back pains and severe headaches, and from mental complaints like insomnia and depression.
Finally, too much emphasis on work damages our family relationships. The number of cases of child abuse has been increasing. This is one of the signs that we Japanese are having trouble maintaining good family ties. Due to work, fathers and mothers come home late and have no time to talk with their children. I am afraid that only few can enjoy the taste of family life in Japan today.
I think people today put too much emphasis on work, while we have to work harder to develop better relationships with our family members.
