Our world is an incredibly busy system. There are many different world issues I could discuss that have been talked about for generations, like poverty, healthcare, violence, etc. However, I want to pose a topic that is often and easily overlooked.
The topic is how people get so caught up in their everyday lives. They don’t take a step back to appreciate the little things like enjoying their family, friends, and hobbies that truly make them happy. There is so much stress and anxiety. In society today, things move quickly and everything is expected to happen at lightning speed, especially living in 2020 when we have everything at our fingertips. Society’s main focus tends to be on education and making money.
Education most certainly isn’t bad, but I would say that college is the first time most people begin to associate themselves solely by what they do. For example, when you meet someone at school we ask their name and their major. When you meet people at a social gathering, it is often asked: “What do you do?. I would argue that this is a big issue. Viewing ourselves by what we “do” reinforces a false reality of who we are and puts our true self on the back burner for a persona we show to the public.
I work at a grocery store and see many different people from different walks of life on a daily basis. They all have their unique individual lives; they tend to each and every day. Some people look like they’re coming in from work, going to work, or just picked up their kids. Others are students getting ready to go to class. Every one of these individuals has their own concerns, but we forget that we are only human and won’t be in this world forever. Sometimes it is better to take a step back and realize how precious relationships are and recognize the things that are truly important in life. Take time to evaluate what matters.
I am guilty of this myself because I’m busy as a full-time working student. It’s not always easy but neither are things we do every day. We force ourselves to complete mundane tasks daily to check a box when we could all afford to put work, school, chores, and errands aside to sped time with the people we love the most. How different would the world be if we all took some time out of our day to focus and nurture what matters most? As well as take time for ourselves. Take the time to be still.
There’s a higher power that has brought our world to a stop. Here recently with the Corona Virus Disease Pandemic, we are forced to cocoon ourselves in our homes and huddle with our loved ones. We may just have been give the gift of time to reflect, gain clarity, and find new ways of going about what we do and even how we think. We can’t predict what the days will bring going forward. But what is it that we can do today to make our tomorrow a better place for us, our family, and the world? Have you take advantage of this time?
~~JAMES DANIEL MOORE