âHe was mastered by the sheer surging of life, the tidal wave of being, the perfect joy of each separate muscle, joint, and sinew in that it was everything that was not death, that it was aglow and rampant, expressing itself in movement, flying exultantly under the stars.â â Jack London, The Call of the Wild
Iâm not inclined to write extensively on slow living and working (yes, I think itâs possible, even in these hyper-wired times) because the subject has been done to death.
Even if we think that living life at a more sedate pace is better for us, weâre not taking the message seriously. You only need look at the daily commute and the way people eat to appreciate this.
Perhaps we need better (different?) mental conditioning, or certainly a different hue that doesnât champion speed, but whilst weâre still coupled to the growth paradigm, itâs unlikely to happen.
As a segue to this post, imagine if we went back a few generations and more of us worked using our hands. Iâve no doubt this would slow us down if only because if we tried to live as we do now, weâd be burnt out by the time we got to 40.
Like all these blinding-flash-of-the-obvious messages (and Iâm sick to death of making them), you have to question why we donât question our lifestyle beyond making time to get off the hamster wheel. It would be funny if it wasnât so tragic.
If we look at the big picture, though, what we need is for the world to rise up and take a stand. But no doubt our masters would either find other robots to replace us or point to the obvious lacuna in our âdo lessâ argument, namely that theyâve provided us (in most cases) with what weâve asked for; and by the way, if we donât like âthisâ, then there isnât much else on offer. And who could argue with that?
Even if you werenât inclined to stamp your feet, what about working less hours or taking a job that was truly meaningful?
Or, better still, leaving paid employment and striking out on your own?
But of course, fear always kicks in and you hunker down and make the best of the situation.
Itâs all very circular.
In the end most people opt for the retirement option; but I donât imagine many people will have much choice but to slow down.
At this stage, I could slip in a few slow down âhacksâ but, from my own experience, I know theyâre a complete waste of time because somewhere at the back of your mind, youâre not convinced anything will change.
In truth, and as much as I might will it otherwise, I think weâre doomed to a life of disappointment where we live as Weekend Warriors and look forward to the odd holiday to make sense of things.
Yes, thatâs it: weâre doomed to run at a high octane pace unless, perhaps, as happened to me, we experience a profound wake up call that life is more important than work.