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dragonlady7via http://ift.tt/1UiKafJ:abigailrcjacob replied to your post “also I really can’t handle it when I explain why I’m so frazzled and…”
You know, I’ve really started to observe that our culture thinks “busyness” is a virtue and it’s really not. You tell a group of friends “Oh, I’m so busy” and instantly you get people chatting with you but being too busy isn’t something to want or aspire to. America worships productivity but that’s often at the expense of the person.
yes, exactly. it’s not just that busy-ness is a virtue, it is that industry is the only virtue. it doesn’t matter what you think about, only what you accomplish. i can’t be idle, ever, even though my mind needs a certain amount of down time just to process experiences into inspiration.
It’s worse, for me, if I am not punching a clock. The times in my life I’ve been unemployed or underemployed, the pressure rachets up. Now, when I’m working half-time at a volunteer job, I have to constantly prove that I’m not just slacking off– no, I’m working, I’m working so hard– it’s usually 12-hour days, and virtually no leisure time. Last time I was unemployed, I made myself write 100 hours a week.
Even my leisure activities– I can’t enjoy something if it doesn’t leave me anything to show for it. This is why I don’t watch TV or play games. I sew, because that has an end result. I write, because you can point to a word count at least.
I don’t even really read books anymore– I always feel like I have to justify the extravagance of time spent.
Industry is the only virtue. Nothing matters but what you can produce. Justify your existence, or don’t exist.
And if you tell someone how overwhelmed you are, they then have to see you and raise you, or else you’ve won this idiot game.
You know, I’ve really started to observe that our culture thinks “busyness” is a virtue and it’s really not. You tell a group of friends “Oh, I’m so busy” and instantly you get people chatting with you but being too busy isn’t something to want or aspire to. America worships productivity but that’s often at the expense of the person.
yes, exactly. it’s not just that busy-ness is a virtue, it is that industry is the only virtue. it doesn’t matter what you think about, only what you accomplish. i can’t be idle, ever, even though my mind needs a certain amount of down time just to process experiences into inspiration.
It’s worse, for me, if I am not punching a clock. The times in my life I’ve been unemployed or underemployed, the pressure rachets up. Now, when I’m working half-time at a volunteer job, I have to constantly prove that I’m not just slacking off– no, I’m working, I’m working so hard– it’s usually 12-hour days, and virtually no leisure time. Last time I was unemployed, I made myself write 100 hours a week.
Even my leisure activities– I can’t enjoy something if it doesn’t leave me anything to show for it. This is why I don’t watch TV or play games. I sew, because that has an end result. I write, because you can point to a word count at least.
I don’t even really read books anymore– I always feel like I have to justify the extravagance of time spent.
Industry is the only virtue. Nothing matters but what you can produce. Justify your existence, or don’t exist.
And if you tell someone how overwhelmed you are, they then have to see you and raise you, or else you’ve won this idiot game.
