Rat race is an endless, self-defeating and pointless pursuit. It conjures up the futile efforts of a lab rat trying to escape while running around a maze or a wheel. There is no end to it.
In a day, people spend about 7 hours sleeping, 2 to 3 hours watching TV, doing household chores or enjoying some private time with siblings, spouses or their children, and another 2 to 3 hours relaxing or socialising with friends, maybe. The rest of the time, about 10 to 12 hours, is spent at the workplace.
This implies that about 50% of your life revolves around the place you work. So dragging yourself to work every day, dreading interacting with your colleagues and avoiding your boss will get you nowhere. To quote Confucius, "Do not do unto others what you don't want others to do unto you." Change your attitude before you expect others to modify their attitude towards you. This way you can sustain in this rat race.
But looking at this from another point of view, at the bright side, competition breeds progress. Innovative products, remarkable technologies and consumer convenience are just a few examples of how competition improves our lives on a daily basis.
"The trouble with rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat," according to Lily Tomlin.
If you love being a rat, do it.
