I believe to achieve a life beyond average, then you must work far beyond the average.
But the current ‘average’ lifestyle still requires far too much from employees.
Then again... the goal is to keep you working and distracted to ensure you never do escape the system.
Society should not be normalising having to work 5 days a week at minimum to ensure a sustainable living. In some cases, this is still not enough for sustainable living.
A 2-3 day work week with similar pay would increase productivity, happiness and a better quality of life.