Board index ‹ Assorted Bible Questions

[Wise Fool for Life]

As a Chinese Singaporean, it's not unheard of for Chinese Christians to be doing considerably better than Chinese/ ethnicities of other religions. It seems like being Christian is a sign of modernization and well educated while being Buddhist/ Daoist is a sign of 'backwardness'.

So does Christianity ever teach about how far you should go to achieve academic/ work achievements?

Do they ever discuss about work-life balance and etc?

[jimwalton]

I don't know about the Singaporean perspective; I can only comment on Christianity itself.

Christianity teaches to work hard and be responsible at it. Hard work, not laziness, is the course to pursue. Do your fair share, and then some. Christianity teaches cooperation, creativity, honesty, and integrity. You put in an honest day's work, pay fair wages, and charge fair prices.

Academically, Christianity teaches the value of the mind and learning as much as possible. We pursue science, philosophy, a proper grasp of history, theology, law, ethics, expression in the arts, and all sources of knowledge.

But Ecclesiastes 3 teaches us balance. There is a time and place for everything under heaven. While the Bible does not teach moderation in all things, nor does it teach living a life of balance in the middle of the road, it does teach that everything has its place and we need to be respectful of the many demands and obligations of life.

I don't know if I answered your question (I hope I did). We can talk more if you want.

[Wise Fool for Life]

Thanks for opening up the opportunity for an in-depth discussion. I appreciate it.

What does Christianity say about overworking? Overworking is an extremely normal habit among all Singaporeans, especially for university graduates.

Since young, many of us (although not as many as the media paints) are raised for the continuous pursuit of perfection. A.k.a, the Kiasu phenomenon

So kids from middle- high-income families are usually indoctrinated from birth to always place academic excellence above all else. Get into top schools, study the most difficult subjects, get As for everything. Get into a prestigious university course like biomedical science or law. The whole stereotypical Asian gag is very real, to be frank.

Then comes work, where many Singaporeans are psychologically chained to their work desks and made to slave to their bosses and assignments. Then they have kids and push the same ideals and expectations onto them. Cycle repeats.

Personally, I find it to be utterly dehumanizing and just plain disgusting, even though I can sympathize to a limited degree their inclinations to engage in such a damaging lifestyle.

So in this kind of scenario, which is actually really common, how does Christianity help to regulate their life? If Christianity says to excel and work hard, does it ever puts a definition where such feverous pursuit of excellence is far too much? What about rest or recreation?

[jimwalton]

> What does Christianity say about overworking?

Good question. The Bible advocates for periods of rest. The biggest, of course, is the Sabbath: One day each week to set work aside (Exodus 20.8-11). Jesus Himself took some time out of His busy schedule to rest (Mark 6.31). Even animals, the Bible says, need a time of rest.

In Exodus 18.13-24, Moses was rebuked for working too hard. His overwork was creating imbalances in his life that needed to be corrected.

Work is good, but it easily becomes a form of bondage. The Sabbath is a sign that our work is not forced, and regular rest allows us to experience our work as free people rather than as slaves to work. There must be a rhythm to life (Ecclesiastes 3.1-13). We all know that failure to get adequate rest is personally destructive, both physically and psychologically.
Ecclesiastes 5.16-17 indicates that constant work can lead to an empty life.

[Wise Fool for Life]

Hmm, I see, but I don't see that many Christians taking on that habit in Singapore. Everyone seems to be overworking regardless of religious doctrine.

How influential would you say religion has on the work ethnic realistically on most Christians in the States at least?

Americans, from my perspective, seem to have a more balanced work-life compared to most Singaporeans, who works nearly non-stop.

Why does it seem that Christianity has nearly no impact on my people's work ethic? (if you can answer)

[jimwalton]

Great questions. I have a friend who is a Christian who has lived in Singapore for about 20 years. I'll ask him.

> How influential would you say religion has on the work ethnic realistically on most Christians in the States at least?

I would say (my opinion) that Christianity does have a decently strong influence on American Christians in that we are taught (and believe and live out) that we should be responsible and hard workers, that we should work for what we want (instead of expecting it for free), and that we should work with honesty and integrity. I would say that American Christians are not as good about taking days of rest (though weekends for a long time were fairly sacred ground, but now that we work from home and we're tech-connected in so many ways, those lines are getting blurred).

> Americans, from my perspective, seem to have a more balanced work-life compared to most Singaporeans, who works nearly non-stop.

I agree with this, in general.

> Why does it seem that Christianity has nearly no impact on my people's work ethic?

Great question. Let me ask my friend, and I'll get back to you (assuming he answers).