What is the hurry mate?

Everybody is in a hurry these days. I don't really understand what it is all about or what is the point in rushing things. I cannot get used to this fast pace of life. I am a total loser in that sense, not able to keep up with the speed at which the world around is operating, expanding and exploding.

All of us want everything in life and want it all right now. Looks like speed is the new parameter to measure success in life. How fast you climb the corporate ladder, how soon you get hold of that car or house and so on. Life has been converted to one mad rush to acquire things, the ones that make you look good in the eyes of others. Concepts like 'lazy afternoon' and 'day dreaming' have long been flushed out of the vocabulary. We instead talk about 'optimal utilization of time' and 'maximizing productivity'.

We approach life as if its a 100 meters race. All the plans and dreams have been converted to these short term goals with milestones defined for every week. Our world view and vision is now reduced to short term gains, what we gain in the immediate future. A lot of money can keep a relationship going for a while, but it takes much more than money to keep it afloat in the long term. But who wants to wait for years, who has the time? It is the age of instant gratification.

There is this notion of getting married and settling down early, an extension of our constant desire to get ahead faster. While in school, all we want to do is to get into some college and enjoy life. Once in college, all we need is a good job and a hefty pay packet. Once we have the job, we want to go back to school. Even after realizing that we go through these irreversible stages in life, we are not ready to slow down. We are busy cruising along the freeway of life, forgetting to look around and admire the beautiful landscapes we pass.

I always try to ignore the commotion around and pretend like I am from a different planet. I have been accused of complacency and lethargy and a callous attitude towards life. I plead guilty to all those charges, speed is definitely not a turn on for me. I also don't fancy owning the world. I'd rather have my coffee, a book, some music and lot of time to dream.

All of us want to become the early bird who gets the worm, forgetting that the second mouse gets the cheese.

Anybody worth their salt understands how an overly ambitious community raises shortsighted goals to incredible heights, only to have them all come crashing down on the heads of their children, for having overlooked the obvious warning signs along the way. - Ogmern I. Wulfsail