A Hurried Life = Contemporary Violence

*inspired by the book The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

I don’t know about you, but when people ask me the question “How are you”, my go-to answer would always be “Good, just busy.”

The truth is: we’re all busy.

Granted, there is a healthy kind of busyness where our lives are filled with things that matter, not wasted on trivial pursuits or empty leisure. The problem isn’t when you have a lot to do; it’s when you have too much on your plate and the only way to keep up is to hurry.

Our new norm is living in a state of constantly being “on”: cramming more tasks in on one day, catching up with the latest episode of the new TV show, learning more skills so we can overpower our peers… The list goes on. Slow is bad, fast is good. This is the message our society essentially feeds into our minds.

Our culture never even slowed down a minute to allow us to ask what this new pace of life does to our souls. Let me answer that for you: it creates and spreads the hurry sickness. Here are the symptoms, and let’s do a little self-reflection.

1. Irritability: Little, normal things frustrate and annoy you. You get mad often and would lash out your anger on those you love.
2. Hypersensitivity: Minor comments hurt your feelings, escalating to major emotional events.
3. Restlessness: When you actually try to calm down and rest, you simply can’t.
4. Workaholism: You don’t know when to stop from working or performing activities. By the end of the day, you’re overtired and have no energy left for yourself or your family.
5. Emotional numbness: You can’t feel another’s pain. Or your own for that matter. Empathy is a foreign concept for you due to constant fatigue.
6. Out-of-order priorities: Your life is reactive, not proactive. You don’t have time for what really matters.
7. Lack of care for your body: No sleep. No exercise. No time for food. Constant sickness. Waking up tired. Breaking out. Your poor treatment of your body manifests physically.
8. Escapist behaviors: When you’re over tired, you turn to negative distractions that create short-term happiness. You abuse them to escape from reality, but ending up stuck in the negative feedback loop of addictions.
9. Slippage of disciplines: When you get overbusy, the things that are truly life giving for your soul are the first to go rather than your first go to: journaling, meditation, some quiet time, a nice walk in nature, etc. You don’t have the emotional energy or discipline to do what you need most.
10. Isolation: You’re disconnected from others and your own souls.

How many of these symptoms do you resonate with?

“The rush and pressure of modern life is a pervasive form of contemporary violence.” - Thomas Merton

Hurry kills all that we hold dear: joy, health, relationships, family, creativity, empathy… Oftentimes, we ask for more hours in a day so that we can complete our agenda, do the entertaining things we desire, and spend time with our family. But the solution to an overbusy life isn’t more time. It’s to slow down and live our lives around what really matters.

We’re all born with limitations and potentials. Our culture wants us to maximize our potential and transgress all limitations. I agree with maximizing our potential, but we have to learn to accept our limitations because we simply can’t do it all.

“We must own and direct our attention in a world that wants the opposite. In the end, your life is no more than the sum of what you gave your attention to.”

Slow down your overall pace of life. Try to keep your soul in peace and quiet.