too busy? be like a snail!

Today I talked about a number of interesting topics with Chika. We ended up talking about how our value system is based on constant comparison with those around us and with society as a whole. It seems to me that everything we do is based on this habit of comparing our lives with those around us. Somehow he tied this into the part in the book of Matthew when the phrase “Do not judge lest ye be judge” pops up. Basically the tangent we went on with this one is that the intrinsic value of human beings is the same regardless of how you evaluate them. But when it comes down to it, society doesn’t seem to think so; Ghandi will always seem like a much better person than say, Hitler.

Society moves forward because of this value system based on comparison; value is assigned comparatively. Thus my life and the choices I make for myself are either relatively good or relatively bad based on the comparisons I make with other people. When you think about it, everything from choices about what we wear, what jobs we take and who we marry are affected by this tendency towards comparison.

In Chinese class we are reading this essay that compares modernization to a snail. The main argument of the essay seems to be that present day society suffers from an excess of work and a loss of free time—in short, people are too busy. This business manifests itself in this never ending yearning for increased speed and efficiency; faster computers, faster information and faster methods of consumption are some examples. The author marks two important time periods in the history of modern civilization: the first being the industrial revolution and the second being the electronic and digital revolution. Though these two revolutions increased efficiency and production, they did not increase our amount of free time; on the contrary, they seemed to have caused a decrease in the amount of free time we have.

Because we are constantly looking for the next best thing, be it a new home or gadget, the need to work more hours to earn more money develops. It is a vicious cycle in which humans are the horses that chase the carrots on sticks (money and social status); we cannot escape it, because as society moves, we move as well motivated by our own fear of being left behind. I was surprised to find how true this seemed to be and how much of what I do and choose for myself is governed by this comparative value system.

I need to get back to reading some Thoreau… I’m looking for a Walden Pond in a barren wasteland.