We've all heard the expression "life is short". How many of us really sit down and contemplate that? I know I'm guilty of not thinking about it as much as I should. When I look at the world around me, I see people in a hurry to go to work, run errands, etc. It's a sad state of affairs when you really think about it. Have we forgotten that we live on this planet, this physical realm but for a short period of time? Hey, I know I have forgotten that many times myself.
It's very easy to get lost in the everyday, mundane ins and outs of the daily grind. We all have bills to pay, some more than others. But, what about after work? Why all the rushing then? There's only so much that we can accomplish in this world if we don't take a step back and just contemplate why we are really here and what is really important. Is a high paying job worth living a miserable life at home? Does making more money really afford you more love from your spouse and children? If it does, than I think you really need to re-evaluate your relationship. Money isn't everything, as long as you make enough to have a decent life, that should be all that matters. What really counts is what you make of your life outside work. With your family and friends.
Think about this; back in the old days...I'm talking about not all that long ago...life was simpler. By no means do I suggest that it was easier, but it was simpler. People knew what needed to be done. They went to work, and when they were done with work, they were at home spending time with their families. Now, does that mean that family life for everyone was peachy and rosy? No, of course not. That depends on the individuals. But, there wasn't this incessant need to make more money so that they could buy yet another bigger house or a second or third car. You worked to live and to have a comfortable life.
The irony in this is that I am using a piece of technology that was designed to make life simpler but instead has made life more difficult. With the advent of the computer, which was supposed to make people's lives a lot easier, a whole new job market place opened up. People might say, "but that is a good thing...more jobs". Well, the way I see it is this. What used to be called a 'Secretary' used to have to type out letter on a typewriter. Come on, anyone know what that is? That's right, a TYPEWRITER. Think about this...using a typewriter didn't mean that you typed any slower than you would using a computer, it just meant that if you made a mistake, you most likely had to start all over. Now, fast forward to the present, if you make a mistake typing out a letter on a computer, all you have to do is hit the backspace and type the word out again, or use spell check.
This cut down the time it potentially took for someone to type out a letter. Thinking logically, this would mean that you ought to have more time right? But, realistically, all this means is that now that you can type a document out a lot quicker because of not having to start over, you have more time to work on more documents. All that is fine and dandy until it got to a point now where the employers saw this as a means to exploit. Work load doubled, if not tripled, which in turn meant that our stress level now rose up accordingly as well.
Oh, about the more jobs thing. Yes, the advent of the computer spawned more jobs. Computer programmers were needed, IT people were needed, computer technicians were needed, and so on. But, here's the downside...and as the saying goes, "For every action, there is and equal and opposite reaction!" While a lot of new jobs were created, a lot also became obsolete. Computers helped automate our society to the point where people lost their jobs and their dignity in some cases. For the younger generation it wasn't as much of a problem because they grew up with computers and went to school to learn about computers. But, for the older generation, it meant that they were outed by a machine and now they had to look for work in an ever changing work environment. That's not an easy pill to swallow.
In all of this craziness, the biggest thing we lost is ourselves. Our sense of family, our sense of selves. We spend most of our time today thinking about what else to get and how to get it as opposed to devoting our time in making things work with ourselves and family. We've distanced ourselves from what is real in exchange for material things that only bring temporary happiness. Don't get me wrong, I am just as guilty of this myself. I have grown up with the computer revolution and even went to school to study computer programming, although I didn't finish the course because I got bored.
Another thing that computers have replaced, aside from jobs, is our sense of spirituality. Now, I don't want to get into a long winded conversation about religion, but regardless of your beliefs, this is still the case. Most of us have a yearning to feel like we belong to something that is bigger than us, but the problem is that most of us today think that money and material objects are what is needed in order to feel like we are a part of something bigger. I'm afraid that isn't the case. Getting that new gadget, as nice and cool as it might be, isn't going to fill that void you feel at the back of your head or in the depths of your heart. Believe me, I've been down that path before. What is going to fill that void is some serious soul searching. Finding out what resonates with you! Whether that be an established religion, or an off the beaten path belief. It doesn't and shouldn't really matter, as long as the end result is that you are spiritually fulfilled and happy. Because believe me, in the end, we are only here for a short time after all!
Dorrian Knight
No comments:
Post a Comment