What will it take so we start living differently?
The reasons why we are living at such a fast pace, why we haven’t learned anything from the pandemic and how to live differently.
After the Black friday weekend, at the beginning of the week I had the opportunity and time to really slow down, stop and take advantage of the beautiful days to break the routine of rushing and sprinting.
For the last six months — since late spring — I find myself just working, rushing and sprinting without really stopping and living in the present moment and enjoying life.
I subconsciously rush and sprint towards those free days when I can finally stop and breathe. But what happens is that on those free days I feel empty because I rushed to the finish line and didn’t pay attention to the journey, notice the beauty of the present moment and I didn’t live mindfully.
But I notice that’s not just the case with me.
Most people I have close contacts with feel like they’re always in a hurry, running out of time, and doing almost nothing outside their job. F*ck, I haven’t been able to see some of my close friends for a long time.
Work, chores, some hanging out, a workout or two, free time and it’s been a week around and here we go again from the beginning. Some would say that this is the “reality” of adult life…
But I, myself find it hard at times to come to terms with “this reality”. I’ve been in this routine for too long and I’ve gotten a little “lost” — I’ve lost my true self — and I long for freedom, peace, silence and freedom.
The reasons why we live this way
When I think about the reasons why we rush so much and why we live in such a fast rhythm, I can derive several reasons that are behind it.
1. Our modern society
On one hand, it is not completely our own fault that we are in such a hurry and we don’t know how to live and enjoy: our modern society and its values force us to do so.
Our modern, consumer society makes us believe that happiness can be achieved with material goods, for which we need money, and for which we have to work.
So if we fall into the trap that money buys happiness, we’ll have to work more and the time will fly by faster.
Also, our modern lives are based on stress, adrenaline and the “hype”, which make us feel good, but are very contagious and addictive at the same time.
2. Living in a routine
Although routine is very effective in achieving goals and building the life we want, living in a constant routine can also be one of the things that makes us feel like time is flying past us.
Our brains process known information quickly, but when we encounter things that are new to us, we need more time to process and organize this data, which makes the experience more “memorable”, or less forgettable.
So when we are in a routine where we repeat the same things and where there are little novelties, time flows faster.
3. Working without purpose
When we do something without purpose and mission, we do not enjoy it and at the same time we feel that time is passing faster
We feel as if we’re wasting our time and our potential doing something that is not really “ours”, not part of our mission and is not our right path in life.
4. The current situation
The current situation is really strange, because from week to week we do not know what will happen…
It seems to me as if we are subconsciously rushing because we want to make up for lost time, for the time and period when we were locked up and deprived of our normal life.
We also live in uncertainty about what the future will bring, and so we subconsciously want to do as much as possible by rushing, as there is always the possibility that we will soon be unable to do so due to the crisis.
At the same time, rushing can also be a defense mechanism. Living in a rush we forget about current events and we avoid dealing with current problems.
Have we not learned anything from the pandemic?
In some circles that look at global events “more holistically” and from multiple perspectives, the Covid epidemic at the beginning of last year was interpreted as a natural law of equilibrium: the epidemic happened partly because we hadn’t slowed down and stopped.
I strongly agree with that!
Due to the epidemic, many of us were forced to stop completely for the first time in years. For many, the epidemic gave them an opportunity to slow down, stop, and breathe. The financial aspect aside, for some — including myself — lockdowns were a blessing!
For me personally, the breaks of lockdowns in the spring and autumn part year came really handy: I could slow down, rest and work on things that are meaningful for me. I returned to the “normal life” fresh, full of energy and generally in a better shape. But then slowly the rhythm of society has overtaken me.
It seems to me that, as a society, we unfortunately haven’t learned the lessons. It seems as if we were just waiting for the end of the cessation of life and to return to the “old life”: so we would be able to return to the old tracks, to continue living the same “old” way of living before the pandemic.
So the question arises, what does it take for us as individuals and as society to really learn to live differently?
How to live differently?
Although it is difficult to change society as individuals, it all starts on an individual level.
So what can we do as individuals to help make a positive impact on society? A few things come to mind.
1. Embrace the seasons
Winter is the time to slow and calm down. It’s time to rest and regenerate.
Especially the December days, which are always shorter, colder and darker.
So let’s stop fighting against nature and use the winter time to rest, regenerate and recharge the batteries, so that with the awakening of nature we will be able to live anew.
2. Incorporate novelties into our daily lives
Break the routine and do something new every day: choose a new path to work, go for a coffee in a different cafe, meet new people, go work out in a different gym, go study in a different library.
You’ll be surprised to see that incorporating novelties in your life, time will has slowed down — even if just slightly.
3. Live your unique life
“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
Each of us can make a huge contribution to a better world. However, we need to gather courage, look inside ourselves, find out what makes us happy and what could be our life purpose and life mission.
When we come to this realization, we must gather the courage to stop living the old, social life and live the life we want.
4. Be of service to the world
Currently, I think that instead of convincing people what the current truth is, we should ask ourselves, what our role is in serving the world and how can we help people navigate and find their way through these strange and sometimes quite challenging times?
Change begins with each one of us. From change in an individual’s lifestyle, a new movement emerges. And a movement that people can identify with and can bring them a better life, has the potential to change the world.
So in the end, the real question becomes:
Do we dare to live in a different way?
Have strength and courage! We can be the change that the world needs!