#Time Off

Time off is but an illusionary window granted within the prison of labor. Advertised as “for refreshment,” it is in reality a brief interlude filled with incoming emails and tracking tasks. We call our time off a period for self-actualization, yet spend it boosting our boss’s metrics and competing in social media bragging contests. True time off arrives only when one is deluded enough to forget the continuation of work.

Vacation is the ritual in which crew members adrift on the sea of labor make landfall on a fleeting safe island amid the storm. Once management’s blessing is granted, one clutches the mirage called freedom, only to be thrust back into the voyage without delay. The auto-reply email alone attests to your existence as the ghosts of unpaid hours bid you farewell. When the final bell tolls, prepare to be yanked back onto the battlefield. True rest comes at the price of the remorse that follows.