“We do not fail when we slow down. We fail when we forget why we move.”
Ia tertawa kecil, seolah menikmati percakapan yang semakin dalam tanpa terasa berat. “I guess in China, many people still work with purpose, the same like my mom always told me when I was a kid,” menegaskan dengan lembut.
“We work hard because we want to build something. For family, for the future. It does not always feel like suffering.” Ada rasa bangga dalam suaranya.
Saya mengangguk. “I understand. One of my Chinese friends once told me about something they call 996.” Ia menoleh sedikit. “Ah, yes. Working from nine in the morning until nine at night, six days a week.”
“Yeah,” saya tersenyum tipis. “When I heard that, I thought, that is a lot. He said people get tired, but they still keep going because they feel they have to.”
Ia menghela napas pelan. “It is true. Some people really feel burned out. But at the same time, many still feel they are working for something meaningful. For parents. For children. For tomorrow.”
Saya terdiam sebentar. “Maybe that is the important part. Purpose and burnout are not opposites. You can love your work and still reach a point where your body and your heart ask you to slow down.”
Percakapan itu terasa membuka ruang baru. Bukan untuk menilai siapa yang benar atau siapa yang salah, tetapi tentang bagaimana kita bisa pelan-pelan belajar untuk mengenali batas kekuatan tubuh, pikiran dan hati.
“The line between strength and damage appears when effort stops having direction.”
Part 37.
