Hodo-hodo zoku !

Couple of weeks back, the Wall street journal had a very interesting report on a new pattern emerging in Japan - that of employees refusing career growth/promotions.  They are called the so-so folks or 'Hodo-hodo zoku'. The larger issue at hand is that it's not a section of the Japanese youth who display this symptom, but an entire generation. The article even describes instances wherein bosses were afraid to break promotion news to their reportees. 

Nothing to be too surprised though. Perhaps just signs of a well developed nation. Japan has obviously passed the initial phase in the development of a nation in which India finds itself today. Long work hours, a strong work ethic, growth ambitions etc are of course the hallmark of a society which wants to get out of the state it currently is in. But once it achieves these goals, it's but human to think about a more emotionally fulfilling lifestyle. 

If you tell this story to anyone in India today, it might as well elicit a strong giggle. But what exactly is the holy grail of work life. Once into the rat race , one is not going to get out anyways, the system has taken care of that. Only people with real strong drive and determination have managed to exit the vicious circle and attain 'nirvana' if I could loosely use the word. 

So perhaps the young Japanese are finally discovering the 'right' & 'easy' way to live life. Spending a good amount of time with family & loved ones (which would obviously come at a cost to money & career) would of course  be more fulfilling way to live , at least for a good amount of the generation. Their forefathers have sweated it out, built a great nation. Let the current generation cherish it ! There's always the next generation to sweat it out again in case things get too much out of hand ...but then life won't go uncherished !