Work-Life Balance (intermediate)

These days, I often read in the news that companies are prohibiting overtime work.  Some of my students have also told me that they are made to go home earlier.  A lot of people might disagree with me but I feel there are a lot of good things that come about when there's a downturn in the economy.  Yes, I read the news about thousands of people being laid off and the fall in production and profit.  But I also feel that whenever we fall it is an opportunity for us to pick ourselves up.   As Barack Obama stated in his inaugural speech "we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off an begin again the work of remaking"   

A lot of Japanese workers have worked relentlessly into the wee hours of the night.  Why not give it a rest for a while and reassess our life.  What's really important for us?  How much wealth do we need?  What kind of lifestyle do we really want? We are all given limited time here.  I wonder how much value there is in giving a large chunk of our life to a corporation.