This is probably traceable to the amorphous nature of modern work. In the past, working all day meant you had a physical result, whether that’s a clean garden o

This is probably traceable to the amorphous nature of modern work. In the past, working all day meant you had a physical result, whether that’s a clean garden or a pile of widgets to sell. These days in the information economy, working all day mostly just gets you more words on a screen. Humans are physical creatures but our contemporary work style treats them as pure spirit. Reminds me of this scene in Margin Call, about the 2009 financial crash: "You're one of the luckiest guys in the world, Sam. You could have been digging ditches all these years." "That's true, and if I had, at least there'd be some holes in the ground to show for it." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFyP0qy9XU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtFyP0qy9XU