Busy
If you asked one of my friends how he's doing, the standard answer is "stressed out!" We pride ourselves on being busy. We point to our filled-up palmpilot schedules as if they were trophies. We are constantly rushing between meetings, lunch talks, fund-raisers, shaddowing, research, and complaining about how busy we are because of things we committed ourselves to on our own volition.
Being busy has become an armor. We feel inadequate when our friends stayed up until 2am when we were in bed by 12. We fear that if we weren't in a constant state of action, we are lesser human beings and less deserving for respect. It is as if we were loved for what we do, not who we are.
The city imposes a sense of purpose and direction in us. We forgot how to take a walk that leads us nowhere, or write a poem that no one will read, or eat a meal alone simply because we enjoy every morsel we're tasting.
Being busy has become an armor. We feel inadequate when our friends stayed up until 2am when we were in bed by 12. We fear that if we weren't in a constant state of action, we are lesser human beings and less deserving for respect. It is as if we were loved for what we do, not who we are.
The city imposes a sense of purpose and direction in us. We forgot how to take a walk that leads us nowhere, or write a poem that no one will read, or eat a meal alone simply because we enjoy every morsel we're tasting.
posted by Novembergrace at 1:44 PM
6 Comments:
True. Best wishes to you.
Boston is a really great city in a lot of ways. It has history, culture, great food, brilliant individuals, art, nearby mountains, the ocean... But this one aspect of it really sucks. So many people here are workaholics - they are so focused on the rat race that they lose sight of the important things in life. It is really hard to get many people here to take a day off (even on a weekend or holiday) and do something fun. When you talk to people, they always want to talk about what you do for work and not what you are passionate about. So many people here seem to define themselves by their work.
It has taken way too long to find friends who are partial slackers (only in Boston would this be a very positive quality). Not only are such friends able to actually to do stuff, they often have time to think about things other than work and have interesting insights.
I like this entry a lot. It's so true. I'm a New Yorker, where we found the other side of the candle to burn.
I lived out in San Francisco for a few years and was amazed at how different it can be. There is the same hard working drive, but much more focus on enjoying the beautiful city you live in.
Being busy when you can afford it physically and mentally is a very good thing. It is a blessing. Enjoy it while you can. Trust me!
There is a big difference between keeping occupied (good), and working 18 hour days seven days a week. Ultracompetive people in Boston tend to cluster in the latter category.
It's a shame we don't spend more time just savouring life and enjoying the moment.
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