We see fast lives these days on social media and think that it is fancy. We see famous people or CEOs or some influencers advertising the lifestyle of hopping from one activity to another. Some people also call this the hyper optimized life. The problem here is people are usually overkilling what they do or don't. Instead of being a couch potato, adding some meaningful or beneficial activity in your life is a good thing. But if you think you can live like a robot in a clockwork fashion and have a super efficient life, you are wrong. Speed is usually disaster. Let me elaborate.
For starters, the faster you live, the less time you spend on individual things. Real life experiences will breeze by while you are running. You also can't just adjust the time that every occupation deserves or requires. You can't spend 30 minutes with your kid everyday and call it parenting. You can't attend a meeting as short as you want. You can't absorb a deep conversation with your friend in 15 minutes. You can't strictly walk for 30 minutes and get the same physical or psychological benefit everyday. You can't distribute your time across multiple activities as you are pleased.
There is an underlying mentality of over optimizing the life. I think people don't want to actually get into details of things and also think they can control natural events. It is a deceptive satisfaction that gives you the impression of having a taste or experience of a lot of things, albeit it is a short robotic timeframe. But in real life, you can't be energetic everyday, some days you may sleep for 16 hours. Sometimes you can't work efficiently at work. Sometimes you feel down and don't go to gym. Sometimes you just have to have an unplanned chat with a friend for hours. Sometimes you just lie down on the bed and look at the ceiling of your room for an hour.
Sometimes you just stay still and observe. Look around you, question what are you doing, what you might be missing in life ...etc. Maybe you are alone because you don't take time to get to know people. Maybe you feel empty inside because you don't take time to find fulfillment or assess yourself. Maybe your kid is sharing secrets with friends instead of you because you allocate a bare minimum or "organized" time for your kid. Maybe there are alternatives in life that you have dismissed because you were too fast or ignorant or self-contained or detached from realities.
I always value having new experiences but as long as you don't overkill it. If you travel mindlessly to find new experiences, you won't have a core idea of yourself developed. Deep down, the fast lives might also be ways to run away from yourself. I usually ask "what are you" more than "who are you". People can answer when asked who they are. Most people have some definition for themselves. But very few people have an analysis of themselves. That requires to have a core understanding to begin with and some overall goal or purpose in life. Like explaining a roadmap. "I am this, I started here and traveled through here and I am headed towards here". But remember, there are times to stop and assess too.
So my ideal lifestyle would be like this: Always have open doors while also having a direction. Always welcome new experiences while also having a sense of self. Our lives are not preset computer programs. Our minds are not programmable machines either. Surround yourself with activities but try to realize the flow too. Optimize your life to see what you are, what you need and what you should do. Don't try the "fast lane" for satisfaction. "I acknowledge and accept and willing to see" can be a good summary of all this uber-philosophical thing. See you at the next post :)
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