I sometimes wonder if the Calvinist Work ethic started out as "Be diligent in worthwhile work, be humble, and wear both proudly as vestments of virtue," and then somehow got warped into being "Work to the bone for your superiors and enjoy being broke." One is very spiritual. The other reeks of social stratification. Somehow though, we went from good works/deeds emanate from faith, as in Catholicism, to good works lead to salvation, as in early Lutheran Protestantism, to good works being a sign of being predestined to be saved as in Calvinism. Or something along those lines, it can be really hard to follow theological and ethical splits and how they're reflected in the real world. Regardless, even outside of Christianity, generally speaking societies tend to see diligence as a social moral. I think what we're seeing with people overwhelming themselves is another expression of that concept.