Speed Thrills...But Kills

 Yesterday I attended a lecture by Dada J.P.Vaswani who advocated some ideas to change our attitude to life. Thinking on all he said, I made a few points...it also reminded me of a signpost I saw on a highway "Speed Thrills...But Kills" and I realized that this is true of life itself, not just vehicles!

“An unhurried sense of time is in itself a sort of wealth.” ~Bonnie Friedman

We live in a society that thrives on consumerism and speed. Fame, fortune, possessions are what we are told to strive for with no thought to time, freedom and spirituality, and to attain them in the shortest time possible. Magazines and television will tell you to keep chasing the material dream. Upgrade to this house or a big screen TV or the next gen tablet etc..etc...The badgering is so continuous that we have even stopped realising that we have become a vehicle to fuel a vicious cycle which gives us less and less peace of mind as we buy more and more. Relationships are taking a back seat, oh yes, we are connected more with friends and family yet the disconnect is like a big yawning black hole which cannot be bridged.(This is a whole separate topic)

Our economy is based on an exchange of products. You make products and sell products in order to get other people’s products.Because we only see economies as exchanges of goods and services, we miss the fact that people need mostly another economy - that of inner wealth to be healthy and happy.

I remember the small close knit communities of the 70s and even 80s - There were always people there to count on in times of need. Abundance was shared, but so were lean times. I remember when TVs just came, everyone would troop to the person's house who had the TV, with snacks and dishes and the movie/Hum Log - Buniyaad (smile) were all watched together with camaraderie and sharing of food, comments etc. in a simple manner - who cared that one did not have a TV or the one who had - had he got the latest and largest? It was still the Nehruvian era of mild socialism. Well, better that than the times we live in where of the so many who are on your road or in your building, if you know even a couple, its a big thing!

There was no one class of people that were expected to do the suffering. Work was carried out to provide for people’s needs, but nobody wasted time creating products just for the sake of it. 

Contrary to what modern culture has told us to believe, people a few years back actually did not spend all day scampering through for food, in constant want of luxuries. They lived content lives.

They had freedom, time for leisure, and time for spiritual contemplation.

I always thought there had to be more to life than school, college, work, retire, die. When you think about your goals in terms of inner wealth, then there is more to life than this. When your focus becomes family, freedom, time, and spirituality rather than status, power, and material wealth, life becomes much richer and more meaningful.

Of course you still have to deal with the constraints of modern living and you need to find a way to put a roof over your head and food on the table. But there are ways that you can seek out this inner wealth in this frenzied modern society.

1. Spend time doing nothing.

With so much to do and so little time to do it in, you can sometimes fall into the trap of wanting to be productive every second of every day. To do nothing would seem like wasting time. Productivity books and blogs are a problem when it comes to promoting the idea that you cannot waste a second. Even holidays have "activities" built into them - how about just lazing????

As a Rotarian, we conduct workshops to train youngsters to be leaders - why should everyone be a leader? If everyone leads who will follow? At the end of your life is it what you achieved in terms of professional achievement really help you? Was it worth all the years that you invested in it - several times at the cost of a million other things that your heart desired? Nothing wrong with simple, hard work..it is when work becomes the focal point of your existence that the problems begin.

Get off this track...Time done doing nothing is time well spent. Make sure that you have a little bit of time every day to do nothing, and even entire days for it. It’s mentally refreshing and allows you the space to just contemplate and reflect.

2. Make time for the activities you enjoy.

If you can never find time then you have to make time. Don’t allow all your obligations in life to swallow up every little second. Make sure you set aside some time to do the things that you enjoy and the things that nurture your soul. People avoid talking of death, but if we did and realized that everyone comes with an expiration date and the kicker is we don't know the date and remind ourselves more often about it, maybe we will start giving importance what we really want to do and not what is perceived to be the right things to do.

3. Remember that it is all for love.

Take the attitude that you work to live, not live to work, and that you live for love. In the end, that is what it all comes down to. Always put family and friends first. If you are slaving away in your job to provide for your family, then you do it for love. Just remember that whenever you feel tempted to put work or material wealth first.

A few days back it suddenly dawned on me that my father really doesn't know me as an adult at all. His memories are all of when I was a child and after that a series of statistics like dates, grades etc...oh that he knows, but not "know" know...he has no clue of what I think, believe, value, cherish...why? all my growing up years - he was working too hard you see, he never took time out to understand me. Suddenly, I was filled with a profound sadness at this. I would have gladly done with a few less things if only I could have spent quality time with my father. But, that ship has sailed...however, I will learn from it and not make the same mistake.

4. Practice minimalism.

I did go around the house and made a list of things which are in duplicate/ or unused for years (some packages are unopened!!!)/cupboards full of clothes, perfumes and stuff...stuffed...I have decided to trim it down.The more clutter you cut out of your life, the simpler life becomes. The more possessions and obligations you have, the heavier the load is. Many people find joy in downsizing and stripping away all the unnecessary baggage in their lives. It gives you time and space to breathe.I know, I did...and do. 

5. Find a technique to calm the mind.

There are several techniques that calm the mind, slow your thoughts, and give you inner peace. These are things such as yoga, meditation, tai chi, and my favourite - doing nothing. Pick one and commit to practicing it on a regular basis. Over time you will observe many physical and mental benefits.

Slow down, allow every day to give you the gift of life, savour every moment, you are privileged because you live.