Times Have Changed 

Hu Wanying

A 30-year-old marketing specialist in Beijing 

The claim that young people in China today are “lazy” has become a familiar refrain, often framed against the older ideal of hard work and perseverance. Yet this contrast - between relentless overtime and the so-called “lying flat” mindset - says less about character than about a shift in values. What we are witnessing is not a decline in work ethic, but a reassessment of what work should mean in a different era. 

Career choices among the young have clearly changed. Where once the most ambitious competed fiercely for positions in high-paying tech firms, many now prefer roles that promise stability and a manageable pace of life. This is often interpreted as a lack of drive. But such a reading ignores the broader context in which these decisions are made. 

At the most basic level, the economics of labour have become more transparent. High salaries lose some of their appeal when weighed against the long hours required to earn them. When people calculate their real hourly income, factoring in unpaid overtime and the toll on their health, the trade-off becomes harder to justify. The question is no longer how much one earns, but at what cost. 

This shift is reinforced by a growing awareness of the risks associated with overwork. Stories of burnout and sudden illness have made the consequences painfully visible. Choosing balance is not an act of withdrawal, but a rational response to these risks. 

Generational experience also plays a crucial role. Earlier generations worked under conditions of scarcity, where effort was directly tied to survival and upward mobility. Their children, by contrast, have grown up with greater security. This does not make them complacent; rather, it gives them the freedom to define success in broader terms. The ability to refuse harmful working conditions is itself a product of past sacrifices. 

At the same time, our understanding of productivity has evolved. The old assumption that longer hours automatically yield better results is increasingly challenged. Research and experience alike suggest that energy and focus are far more decisive than time alone. In this light, excessive overtime appears less as dedication and more as inefficiency. 

None of this means that hard work has lost its value. There are still moments that demand sustained effort and commitment. But it also means recognising that rest, health and personal life are not obstacles to success, but conditions for it. The real shift, then, is not from diligence to laziness, but from endurance at all costs to a more balanced and sustainable way of living and working. 

Strike a Balance Between Endurance and Escape 

Getahun Assefa Tessema

A 34-year-old Ethiopian journalist, TV show producer and host

In cultures shaped by struggle, rest has never been simple. In Ethiopia, much like in China, there’s a quiet pride in endurance and the ability to keep going, no matter how heavy the load feels. Work is not just survival; it’s identity. And stepping away from it? That has often required more than just a request. 

There was a time when taking annual leave wasn’t about rest at all. It needed a story - something serious, something urgent, something that could soften the heart of an employer. You didn’t ask for time off because you were tired; you asked because you had no other choice. Rest had to be justified. It had to sound like an emergency. 

But something is shifting. 

You can feel it in the quiet confidence of a younger generation rewriting the rules. They are the ones turning rest into something normal, not negotiable. Today, they simply say, I need a break - not because something has gone wrong, but because they understand what happens if they never stop. They are not performing exhaustion to earn sympathy; they are claiming space without apology. And in doing so, they are not just adapting to the system, they are reshaping it. And slowly, the culture is beginning to move with them. 

From my experience, the line between dedication and exhaustion is thinner than we like to admit. There were moments when pushing harder felt like the only option until the mind slowed down, creativity faded, and even simple tasks felt heavier than they should. It becomes clear then: rest is not the opposite of work. It’s part of the rhythm. 

But here’s the uncomfortable truth - balance is not always balanced. While some people are learning to pause, others are leaning too far in the opposite direction. There are those who rest more than they work, mistaking comfort for growth. 

So, the real question is not whether to rest or to work, but how to hold both without losing direction. 

Because in the end, sustainable success is not built by those who never stop, nor by those who never start. It belongs to those who understand timing, the wisdom to push forward, and the discipline to step back. CA