am i suppose to be glad

and thankful that:

1) i managed to leave work at 630pm on the dot today
2) i managed to reach home in time to catch the 9pm drama
3) i don't have to work weekends
4) i managed to find the time to read the papers

why is it such that people are expected to work doubly hard?
i look at the faces all around me, on the buses, trains, at work,
and i don't see a smiling one.
i see people buried in newspapers, dozing off, staring blankly into space.
everyone is hurrying off somewhere- to work or back home.

is it too much or even unrealistic to want to achieve a work life balance.
am i asking for too much?
is there a place for someone like me in society, or will i get left behind?
i just feel that it is cruel and highly hypocritical to preach to your employees about a balanced lifestyle, when most of them can't even leave the office on time.

a friend said that he is going to work really hard for the next 15 to 20 years of his life,
and then enjoy the fruits of his labour.
what happens then to the 15-20 years that have been "lost" to working your ass off?
i guess ultimately, it boils down to whether you will regret it by the time you have made enough.

is this the price that i am willing to fork out? not really.
what options do i have?
what do i have to give up?
this is the frustrating part- the fact that i can't have the best of both worlds. ha.

i would like to insist that i am not a lazy employee.
i am willing to work hard.
just that if this goes on for the next 15 years,
all i am left with is an empty shell.