Η Naomi Osaka is only 23 years old. He has conquered all 4 grand slam in tennis. A few days ago he retired from Roland Garros while in a statement she said she will not give any press conference because she suffers from depression and wants to protect her mental health.

Ο Christian Eriksen is 29 years old, international footballer with Denmark. He collapsed on the pitch during his national team's match against Finland at Euro 2020. The information speaks of a cardiac arrest. A few hours before Eriksen collapsed, the World Footballers' Association had warned UEFA in a letter about player fatigue due to consecutive matches played in a short period of time. We don't know what or if UEFA has replied, but we hope they won't claim that the players will be resting on the days off they will take in the future...

Perhaps the most shocking is the human wall that the Danish footballer's teammates formed to protect him from the «voracious» media. In doing so, they have reminded us that there must be limits. That not everything is for «consumption». That some moments, even for those whose professional careers are intertwined with publicity, are completely personal.

These two persons, Naomi Osaka and Christian Eriksen, reminded us that even the top and very well paid athletes (or artists or professionals etc.) there is a «meat grinder» that pushes them to the edge to maximize profits.

It is precisely this exhausting operation that can be both physically and mentally damning...

So two questions arise:

-How should we react when the media violate every boundary (even at the moment when someone is fighting the battle of his life...) to achieve high ratings, ratings, readership, etc.?;

-How should we react when we are pressured to over-perform (perhaps beyond our endurance) to maximize the profits of the «company»?;

Eriksen may never play ball again, while Osaka are threatened that if they do not «comply», they will suffer the consequences (suspension from matches). All around us there are millions of «Osaka» and «Eriksen» who are under unbearable mental and physical pressure to «comply» with the work rules and «business goals» set by others. There are millions who are paid a fraction of their supervisors« salaries but are subjected to the entire pressure. They have no right to »fall down« (like Eriksen) to not be able to cope (like Osaka), to want a life differently, with less pressure and simply decent pay. The society that some people »envision« is only for »champions«. Let the rest of us become »chillers"...

This is their plan, our plan, what saves us and what gives us hope for tomorrow, is the human wall that (loosely translated) says: «AS FAR AS IT IS ALLOWED. NO MORE STEPS»...