Slow Down, and Relax!
Came across a rather interesting article in the
blog section of HBR:
This triggered a few thoughts in my mind - or,
rather, re-kindled old memories which led me to choose my life style the way I
did...
A lot of financial experts tend to focus
on:
-
Enhancing income-earning and wealth growth prospects
-
Maximising income and wealth on a sustained basis - For ALL human beings
Interestingly, the above thought process of
financial experts has been internalised by the vast majority of people all over
the world - cutting across race, religion, financial position, health condition,
ideological leanings, etc.
In a way, this is a good thing as it motivates
people to improve their standard of living. However, there
is a critical downside to this sharp focus on increasing income and accumulating
wealth. No, I'm not about to launch a sermon on declining moral standards
(though that would be a valid concern as well).
Here goes:
The primary purpose of earning and/or accumulating
money is to Live. I guess that this process of
Living would include a wide range
of activities ranging from formal education, entertainment, medical care, dining
out, socializing with friends and relatives, playing / watching different
sports, etc.
Initially, the purpose of every scientific
advancement (starting with the invention of fire, the wheel, the typewriter, the
automobile, the computer, etc.) led to a distinct improvement in the quality of
life. People were able to achieve a greater productivity with lesser efforts,
enabling them to spend more time on actual Living. However, in the
past couple of decades, especially in the past 5-6 years, we have been observing
a disturbing trend. Increasingly, people (especially those between the age of 20
and 60) seem to be extraordinarily busy with something or the other, virtually
for 95% of the time they are awake. And mostly, they are busy with work related
matters or in activities directly or tangentially related to preparing for or
reviewing their work life.
You know the usual "crib story": Too much
competition, unable to avoid phone calls, got to check mails, got to respond to
emergencies, need to think about my next promotion, have to retain my job, Am at
too senior a position and hence can't afford to take things easy, Am at too
junior a position to take things lightly, Have to stay updated with the latest
trends and developments in my field, Must finish reading this journal before
this weekend, etc.
The end result: A vast majority of people are
"Physically
Existing", but are not Living any
longer.
Is there a solution to this dangerous situation? I
think that there is a rather conceptually simple (but extremely difficult to
implement) solution:
Just Slow Down and Relax!
I can hear you screaming (either openly or to
yourself) that it is easier said than done. I can almost hear you saying: "But
How"?
Guess that you'll have to wait for my next blog
post on the subject. In the meantime,
Just Slow Down and Relax!
Regards,
1 comment:
Well i agree with you, people have mechanical approach in their lives and hence we see automaton attitude in people instead of traits that living beings with emotions should express. There should be a fine balance , easier said than done though because we get so busy in our lives that we don't get enough time to introspect properly.
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