We work too hard, and many die under the strain. Steinbeck's portrayal of the labourers' lot during the Depression has a familiar ring today, for both the blue collars and the white. Americans toiling behind counters, on shop floors or in fields filled with PCs and fax machines find the hours are long, vacations are short.
Many hardly take a break at all. Stats show Americans work harder than the rest of the world, for a few extra bucks in the pocket, and quite a lot more for the firm. But there is a price, depression, divorce, death. The alcoholic lives longer than the workaholic.
So hey, the sun is shining, the beach is beckoning, and the water's just fine. The new public health threat: vacation deficit disorder.
