Jack Ma would ‘rather die on the beach than in my office’. Now there’s a lesson for Hongkongers
Alice Wu says Jack Ma’s retirement plans, announced on his 54th birthday, should inspire us to rethink our priorities by aiming for a healthy work-life balance and not pushing our children into the rat race
But we often overlook how much of life is taken away from us when we are defined only by our work or the illusion of our achievements. Arianna Huffington has been trying to turn the world around after she collapsed from exhaustion at her desk in 2007, broke a cheekbone and came to in a pool of her own blood; she has become an evangelist for sleep.
Ma’s words should act as a wake-up call, too. He once told US talk-show host Charlie Rose: “The thing is, I don’t want to die in my office. I want to die on the beach.” Not that we should all just quit and head for the beach, although I’m sure a lot of us would really benefit from some vitamin D.
But a life on the beach, literally or not, is the life we’ve been missing out on. And for Ma, it’s a life that will allow him to focus on education and philanthropy. Ma’s retirement plans should inspire us to rethink our priorities.
