Who wants to know something life changing?
If you don't, then stop reading.
Honestly, I already though I understood this concept. Yet, the re-presenting of this truth struck me as genius, freeing and still slightly depressing.
Are you intrigued yet?
Ok.......... here it comes.......... ready or not...........
Are you going to throw something at the screen if I use another ellipse?
Fine....... drum-roll please! Da Da Da dadadadada........
"Rushing through life is not the magic trick that congers up more time."
Are you disappointed? Because personally, I felt like I had been hit by lighting. This is reality: My "Speedy Gonzalez on crack" habits and attitudes do nothing to change the fact that there are only 24 hours in a day. And my chasing life, as if I can change that fact, is killing me.
The kind of habits and attitudes I refer to are not when I am using my time for constructive purposes. Rather, they are the habits and attitudes that skew my priorities, and that have me performing at a mediocre level so that I can scrunch in more activities (all of which receive only mediocre attention and execution). These are the habits that rob me of truly experiencing life to the fullest, that prevent me from tapping into my relationships, and allow no time for restorative rest.
This point is not about using time productively, nor is this a plug for more Facebook/Twitter/Hulu/Netflix time. It is merely me presenting you with a fact of life that most of us Americans deny. We thrive on devices that make things go faster, from high speed internet, to mobile phones, microwaves, expressways, fast food... the list is extensive. I wonder if we even take the time to remember what we've done in the last month, the specifics rather than general observations.
Our society is rooted in success, this "American dream" that comes at the cost of strong communication skills, mature relationships with friends and family, our moral and ethical convictions, and the joy of life itself. We function under this belief that once this "dream" is attained, we can stop and smell the proverbial roses.
Yet, life draws to an end, and the chapters of our lives read like a resume rather than a story. The secondary characters were means to an end. The main character never succeeds in his/her quest, because too late they understand that their racing to the destination robbed them of the adventure of the journey.
Please understand I admittedly am preaching to the choir here. I am convicted by this truth. This insanity has to stop, or I will look back on my life and weep, as will you.
Stop chasing life, rather start living it.
