Consider Tadao Masuda, who lives in Japan. His commute to work takes three and a quarter hours and then another three and a quarter back home again. He gets up at 4:00A.M. Although he knows the commuting time to the minute, he leaves nothing to chance. He leaves at 4:55, gets on the train at 5:16, and always arrives in the office on time. He finally returns home at 8:50 in the evening, in time for dinner with his family. He knows his routine well - after all, he has been doing it for 30 years.
Despite not enjoying the trip, Tadao does not complain about it. "I don't actually enjoy commuting, but I definitely don't feel it is a waste of time. It is my private space, and I use this time for my own thoughts. I usually get home relaxed, despite the stress caused by a long day of hard work."
Today at age 65, he is considering a change. He would like to spend more time with his wife and family. In spite of staying with the same company all his life, he still gets only ten days off a year. However, will he be happy when he retires and ends his 30-year routine?
[Extracted from World View 4 StudentBook]