Hard work gets no reward: the lie that keeps the system running

Hard work gets no reward: the lie that keeps the system running

Have you ever been told that if you work hard, make sacrifices and are a good person, you will eventually get your reward? For decades, the phrase "your sacrifice will be rewarded" has been the mantra of schools, companies and political speeches. But what if it is the biggest lie of all? A growing line of analysis argues that there is no universal mechanism guaranteeing a reward proportional to the effort made. The comparison with the "Arbeit macht frei" slogan of the concentration camps is no coincidence: in both cases, a prize is promised that never arrives.

The broken promise
The idea that sacrifice will be rewarded is the foundation of modern meritocracy. Yet the data does not back it up: the generations that worked hardest, such as post-war workers, often ended up with precarious pensions and minimal social recognition. Far from being a law of nature, it looks like an unwritten social agreement that benefits those who set the rules. Those who resist this narrative argue that the system simply promises what it cannot deliver.

The control mechanism
From childhood, we are taught that effort is a supreme value. But what happens when effort does not translate into wellbeing? The resulting frustration is blamed on the individual, not the system. In this way, the promise of reward acts as a social anaesthetic, keeping the population disciplined and productive. Those who manage to escape this cycle are usually the ones who question the very premise.

The debate over whether this is the system's biggest lie is gaining traction in sceptical circles. But perhaps the greatest irony is that, after decades of sacrifice, many do not even have the energy left to ask whether it was worth it. The system carries on, and the promise of reward keeps working as the best anaesthetic of all.