Workplace With Two Screens

Today, in the middle of work, a helper at the office asked me a simple question:

“Kuch hua? You okay?”

I was in the pantry stretching my back, trying to ease the stiffness from hours of sitting, when he asked. I told him, “It’s just the long hours. Sitting in one place all day makes everything tight.”

He smiled gently and said something simple, but honest: “From outside, everyone thinks the other person’s life is better.”

He told me that he thinks our lives are better working a white-collar job, gaining respect, learning new things, exploring, and doing something that truly “makes sense.” And we think his life must be easier walking around, making chai, handing out water, enjoying a different kind of freedom… watching matches in the pantry, chatting non-stop with other helpers. Meanwhile, I’m stuck at my desk, glued to screens, deadlines, and never-ending work.

“Sabki apni tension hoti hai,” he added softly. And that made me pause. Because suddenly, I saw that no matter what side you’re on, everyone is carrying something heavy. I looked around the office: the glow of monitors, papers piled up, people moving slowly between workstations, that subtle heaviness under every forced smile.

It struck me: corporate life isn’t what I imagined.

Saturdays off, the so-called “perk,” often feel like a trap. They announce weekends, but quietly stretch weekdays longer, two extra hours here, two extra hours there… and before you realize it, you’ve ended up working more than a six-day schedule.

You think you’ll finish by seven, but seven becomes eight, becomes nine. Seniors walk in at 7 PM for a “quick” meeting that lasts an hour too long, and you stay back because who leaves before the boss?

It’s a rhythm inherited from the generation that believed long hours = loyalty. Our parents hustled for basics. For them, struggle was normal. So we got a better start, and now we want balance, time for passion, personal life, and rest. But in many offices, that balance simply doesn’t exist. You trade five full days just for two days where you’re “allowed” to live.

Instead, people stay late not because there’s work but because no one wants to be the first to go home. Hours pass in small distractions: aimless chats, scrolling, pointless waiting. Everyone pretends staying late matters, when maybe… nothing real happened.

And in that moment, I heard the helper’s words again: “From outside, everyone thinks someone else has it easier.”

But the truth sits quietly in front of us; everyone is carrying something. Behind every uniform, every hierarchy, every glowing screen and late-night desk lamp, there’s a story: some stress, a few abandoned dreams, and a longing for space, rest, and connection.

So I sit here, typing this, wondering: Do we really know what freedom is? Or have we just grown used to staying put? And that brings me to a harder question: do we even want freedom?

Because real freedom means being still on your own terms. It means reflecting, growing, and facing your thoughts head-on. It means not chasing what everyone else wants you to chase, not doing what everyone expects you to do. And that requires more than courage; it demands will, discipline, and the strength to look inward rather than outward. Not everything is God’s plan; sometimes you write it yourself, erase it if you don’t like what you have written, and write something new.

Over time, I’ve seen the exhaustion. I’ve felt the tiredness settle into the bones because I wasn’t giving enough time to what drives me, what I love the most. I started trying different things, so that I don’t slip into the rat race simply following what others think of me, but balancing it with my passions and priorities.

So now, I’m giving more time to what I truly love outside work, my writing, my books, my cubes, my movies, my family… and my sleep.

So whatever you do outside those two screens, cherish it. That’s your freedom, your space, your life.