Human being or human doing?

multitasking

I read an article recently on “The Disease of Being Busy” and the effect is has on our lives. It’s a wake up call, an analysis of our current state of mind and way of acting that is slowly leading us to losing our humanity.

Basically, we are too busy to being humans.

I admit that I have difficulties finding time to relax, to almost feeling guilty when I finally do it. I’m constantly aware of the things I have to do and they are so many that sometimes they frighten me. So, I try to prioritize them, but even the priorities are many, so it keeps going on like this.  I think I’m making plans and to do lists even in my sleep. 🙂

Because I kept complaining about not being able to finish what I have planned, I tried to learn more about how to effectively  plan my day and my to do list, to somehow finish more tasks and be more aware of what I can and can’t do in a day. After reading the article I was telling you about, I suddenly became aware that on my to do list I rarely write “time to relax” and I bet there are many like me. We now rarely have time to talk, we are constantly doing something, to the point we practically forgot how it feels to stand still. To do nothing. To have a conversation without thinking about the enormous amount of work we have, without thinking about tomorrow, just enjoying today…

seven thirty bourke street

If you are asking yourself why and how we ended up here, well, in the first place, we were taught that if we work hard we will be successful, we will have the careers we want, the money we want to spend on everything we want. Too bad that for so many, working hard and all the time is no recipe for success, that sacrificing relationships and free time is not really paying off, and becoming frustrated is more likely to happen than success. We are now more human doings than human beings, because there’s really no time for something so simple as ‘being’.  Even when we have some free time we have difficulties to stand still. We are constantly thinking “Let’s do something”. 🙂

This is a dangerous path we are all walking and no matter how aware we are of it, we still find it difficult to change. It has become normality, a normality that is keeping us exhausted and unhappy. And this normality is what our kids see and this is what they will do too. We are even helping them, by pushing them to be better, know more, do more, because our parents pushed us too.  I have no idea if we can change dramatically our way of thinking and living, but at least we should be more careful with how we are shaping their future. Because, in the end, we all want them to be happy, and not successful unhappy frustrated adults.

If you have any idea on how we can change, please share your thoughts. You might change someone’s life. 🙂

PS. Read “The Disease of Being Busywhen you have some time to spare. It might make you want to spare time for yourself. 🙂

Photo: Guillaume Gilbert , Jes (Flickr)

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Gia is the founder & owner of "the Urban Diva" blog; with a background in fashion, she worked for many years as a wedding dress designer; she also creates handmade accessories. Read more about her on the "I am Gia" page.

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