Unwell - Life in the natural world

I am unwell and have been so since the 1st of May. I took a day off from work last week, with not so pleasant consequences. The rest of the week, I dragged myself to the office and suffered silently through the work day. It left me drained and fatigued, with no time to relax. I had precious little sleep and certainly no recreation. I smiled and waltzed through my birthday, just wishing for a moment to lie down, to rest. The weekend whizzed past.
Yesterday, I woke up with a temperature of a 102 degrees. I fainted whilst I was dressing but managed to keep it a secret. Yes, I did visit my physician. He has forbidden me from 'any physical acitivity'. I have a serious infection that is causing the fever. I shall not cause any of you decent folk to feel squeamish with further descriptions. I shall move right on.
The corporate world is straight out of Hobbes' Leviathan. Life, in this 'natural world' is 'short, nasty and brutish'. I could lose my job, or atleast my credibilty for not having gone to work. The predators are lurking in the shadows. They can smell blood and are out for the kill. (No, Portmanteau, I am not obsessing or being paranoid) This is a stark reality. There are too few jobs and too many people. There is but one position at the top (even at the bottom for that matter). Merit does not get you there. Warfare does.
There is no compassion, not because the organization would come to a stand still if one person does not turn up, but there is no compassion, because it is indeed a state of the jungle: the survival of the fittest, the wiliest. Kill or be killed. My defenses are down. My absence is weapon enough for my opponents. They have enough ammunition now. Would they strike, now or will they strike later?