Thoughts on the Rat Race (2/13)

The consumer society certainly has its good points. It has allowed us to increase our standard of living substantially since the industrial revolution. Gone are the days when we had to light our homes with candles, wash our clothes and dishes by hand, wash ourselves in communal showers or travel long distances on horseback. Similarly, most illnesses can now be treated without us dying from them, which has considerably increased our life expectancy. We can also easily communicate with people who are very far away from us using increasingly sophisticated means, something that was simply not possible in the past. In general, our activities have become less arduous and less physically dangerous.

However, there is no gain without loss. If our work is less physically demanding today, it is much more demanding psychologically speaking. Because of new means of communication, Internet, email and smartphone, the line between private and professional life has become very blurred. It is therefore difficult to take a step back, disconnect from work and recharge your batteries.

Occupational diseases are on the rise, burnouts, depressions, not to mention suicides at work. Although communicable diseases have become less dangerous, non-communicable diseases, cancer and diabetes in particular, are clearly on the rise. We have become more individualistic, even with our pathologies.

We can go faster, further, for less money, but on the other hand we often complain about not having enough time for ourselves. Our society has become obsessed with goals that need to be met as quickly as possible and to-do lists to check off. Doing, doing, doing… and forgetting to be.

In the past, the journey was at least as important as the destination. On horseback, we didn't have much choice but to give ourselves the time we needed. Today, when the mission is accomplished, the next one should already be accomplished too. All this has a significant impact on our well-being and development. It's no wonder then that our world is going crazy. We little rats, rushing around in all directions, putting crosses in to-do lists, we who like things left, right and centre, but who have lost the sense of savoring the things in life. By dint of wanting everything right away, we have forgotten that it is time that gives meaning to the things in life.

Unfortunately, we only become aware of this when this time disappears, for example, due to illness or death. It is by stopping for a moment, taking a step back, spending time with our loved ones, that we reconnect with our values. Who has never had the feeling of finding themselves after spending 3 weeks on an island doing nothing? We reconnect with ourselves and with others. Our overexcited rat brain stops overheating and starts functioning coherently and efficiently again.