Now, it could just be coincidence that, of the 168 hours in a week, more people experience such a stress-related event during that hour when the work week begins. Since it illustrates my point on the significance of work, however, I choose to overlook that possibility. Work has a particular status of being extremely important and potentially trivial for us at the same time.
Work is just a bit paradoxical that way.
While it occupies for many of us such a large part of our waking hours and determines to a great extent how others respond to us and even our status in society, it inspires in so many of us little passion, little satisfaction, little sense of personal relevance. It is so completely integral to the character of our culture and the quality of our lives, and yet its pervasive influence seems to go largely unacknowledged. Harvests provided for the well-being of the entire clan, and the work itself had little to do with status, since all were expected to participate. As the coexistence of so many people created inevitable friction, the need was born for rules, boundaries and the specialization of work. Communities had to somehow create structures for individuals to work as judges, priests, and soldiers while receiving from the community adequate food and shelter, so the concepts of employment and civic participation were developed.