Hyper beings

Even though we are self absorbed beings,isn't it paradoxical how we don't break redundant, wasteful, even self defeating behaviour patterns. If we are so obsessed with ourselves and our likes and dislikes and wants and desires, shouldn't that make us want to have more pleasant, deeply satisfying and efficient experiences.

Funnily enough, we don't do that. In our fast paced, hyper, cyber active, quick gratification oriented lives who looks at the bigger picture? But there are times when life slows down a bit and you catch yourself acting in what is now a behaviour pattern, surprisingly not one you chose to develop very consciously.

I am so used to getting instant results for everything; instant coffee, online shopping, which is very addictive and a trend that credit card companies will cash in on leading to the next banking crisis, instant food - fast and unhealthy takeaways, instant entertainment, instant communication - if my broadband takes more than 30 secs to connect I panic!; that anything that doesn't deliver quick is automatically eliminated from my list of available choices.

I have lost patience, I no longer read as much as I used to, Google is the answer to all qs including what to cook tonight, why think just google it! I eat fast, I shower quick, I scan the newspaper, I take short cuts to housework, I multi-task (damn American jargon!) at work and slowly I've forgotten how to live a simple happy well paced life! I'm only running a marathon each day but I'm not sure why, or even if I want to, or chose to. It just happened.

Then one day you get a wake up call....something snaps and you realise what you've been mindlessly doing. Isn't this the story of most of our lives? scary isn't it! Is this what technology has done to us? I mean wasn't modern technology meant to make life more convenient and save time? Then how come I find, that with my mobile phone, high speed broadband, sat nav, wi-fi and what have you, I'm more pressed for time and more stressed than ever before? Work carries itself home in my laptop, a relaxing family dinner is disturbed by the beeping cell phone, suddenly I'm working more hours than before. Earlier once you left work, you really left it. But now I'm accessible! Strange paradox?

I came across this quote the other day and it made me wonder what is this haste we make? What are we trying so desperately to achieve that we unknowingly lose control of our lives and would we do this if we realised we're running without really getting anywhere?

“If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character...Would you slow down? Or speed up?”