What is this obsession we have with hard work?

Why do we place so much value on it, almost above all else?  (We must work hard BEFORE we sleep, take a lunch break, or schedule time with the family.)

I do not denounce the value of dedication, committment, and effort.  However, there is a huge elephant in the workroom that we are all ignoring.

I share this today because I found out that this elephant is getting ready to trample over my kids.

This was a fable given to my third-grade son, for which he was supposed to find the main idea: