In the West, so many people are addicted to the idea that production is all that matters. They’ve been raised to believe that we should always be busy making things, putting things together, and figuring things out. So they glorify workaholics. They adore the people who are burning the candle at both ends and burning the midnight oil. These are folks who are working all the time at their jobs to put food on the table and take care of themselves and their families but end up with very little time to enjoy their families, friends, and interests. There is also the struggling entrepreneur, who, while working at a regular job, starts working on either starting or growing their business from the time they get off work until early in the morning; the next day, they wake up early to go to their job and start the whole cycle over again. They’re getting hardly any sleep, have hardly any time to themselves, and they spend their whole day working from the time they wake up until the time they go to bed.
Additionally, lots of people see life as one big competition. They think they’ve got to be constantly working, moving, maneuvering, out-thinking, outsmarting, and outwitting others just to stay even, let alone to get ahead. Is it any wonder that people are so stressed out and have so much trouble getting along with each other? In addition to constantly pushing against other people, they’re constantly pushing themselves to go further and be faster, smarter, and better. This is madness and it’s unsustainable.
That’s what a lot of people think of when they think about being successful. They think that if they’re not constantly working, then they’re wasting their lives and they feel useless. They feel bad about taking some time out for themselves to take a nap, go for a walk, or go on vacation. While there’s nothing wrong with producing, building, and creating, when that becomes compulsive and you feel as if you have no other option but to do those things all the time, then it becomes a problem. When the idea of stopping or even slowing down becomes unthinkable, that’s when you’re long overdue for a break. I agree with the idea of creating a lifestyle with built-in breaks so you don’t get overworked and burnt out, and I’d like to see more people do that. Until then, though, I think everyone should carve out a sufficient amount of time for self-care, pursuing things they enjoy outside of work, and showing love and grace to themselves.
The harder you work, the more you need to make time for yourself. It reminds me of the story of the Buddhist monk who says he has to meditate for an hour every day. When someone else tells him that he doesn’t have for that, the Buddhist monk says, “In that case, I need to meditate for two hours every day.” You can only push yourself at top speed for so long before you break down. The busier you are, the more time you need to spend not being busy. That’s largely missing from the West and it’s a big part of why there are so many problems in so many areas of life. So many people are running on fumes and still trying to make everything work, and that doesn’t work. I hope that changes soon.