> I think that there is far too much work done in the world, that immense harm is caused by the belief that work is virtuous ...

That's a privileged position. I benefited from a work ethic of a grandfather that knew poverty and hunger, via a father that grew up in the depression. They would both be known as workaholics in this age, as they frequently, or usually, worked from pre dawn to post dusk for the necessities. My father stood in awe of his father's capacity for work, and I'm in awe of my father's.

My own child, if I had one, would be less impressed with his father's work ethic, as I also grew up in a privileged position, without poverty or hunger, due to my father's work. It would be better for a child to inherit my father's work ethic than mine. Not for any virtue other than its capacity to promote thriving and survival in an unstable future.