Today, our society is constantly focused on making everything faster, better, and more efficient and its our job to keep up with this fast paced world we all live in. Many of us, including myself, get caught up in a whirlwind of fulfilling responsibilities, personal goals, and more, and more, and more. It just never seems to stop! A lot of people have trouble pressing the pause button, slowing down, and opening their eyes to see what really is at stake in their life.
As a student, pretty much my entire life revolves around the future, both immediate, and distant. I'm constantly thinking about the next test, quiz, or homework assignment, and through it all I'm taking a risk, a chance, hoping all my hard work will pay off and I'll be admitted into a good college in the future. I've spent the majority of my entire life focusing on me, going to school for me, studying for me, and developing skills that will help me, and only me, navigate through adult life when I am older.
In his commencement speech This is Water, David Wallace exposes the everyday things we put way too much value on. Wallace lists all of the things a person unknowingly chooses to "worship" (Wallace 237), and points out that no matter how earnest or genuinely good that thing we are subconsciously worshiping is, without balance we will never feel fulfilled. He emphasizes that what really fulfills us is helping others. For example, Wallace talks about worshiping intellect, and in turn feeling " ... stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out ..." ( Wallace 237) When someone is only focusing on themselves and their goals it's hard to achieve balance, and its hard for them to see their surroundings at face value. Yet, by hitting the pause button on life every once and a while, that fresh perspective is exactly what we need to notice when we are truly in over our heads in life.
As a student, pretty much my entire life revolves around the future, both immediate, and distant. I'm constantly thinking about the next test, quiz, or homework assignment, and through it all I'm taking a risk, a chance, hoping all my hard work will pay off and I'll be admitted into a good college in the future. I've spent the majority of my entire life focusing on me, going to school for me, studying for me, and developing skills that will help me, and only me, navigate through adult life when I am older.In his commencement speech This is Water, David Wallace exposes the everyday things we put way too much value on. Wallace lists all of the things a person unknowingly chooses to "worship" (Wallace 237), and points out that no matter how earnest or genuinely good that thing we are subconsciously worshiping is, without balance we will never feel fulfilled. He emphasizes that what really fulfills us is helping others. For example, Wallace talks about worshiping intellect, and in turn feeling " ... stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out ..." ( Wallace 237) When someone is only focusing on themselves and their goals it's hard to achieve balance, and its hard for them to see their surroundings at face value. Yet, by hitting the pause button on life every once and a while, that fresh perspective is exactly what we need to notice when we are truly in over our heads in life.
I agree with your argument about pressing the pause button once in a while to be aware of our surroundings. I also agree that the real feeling of fulfillment is earned when we help somebody. Also, I really like your use of pause and play button as your metaphor. And I can also completely relate with your life in school about thinking about the next test or quiz. I think that we should be kind of self centered when aiming for a goal but to an extent. And we have to pause sometimes to enjoy our life rather than just having a life like an machine. Very interesting post to read !.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your claims! The world nowadays is much more fast paced than it has been in the past. I feel that this is due to technology. We live in the age of NOW! Everything has to happen instantly, otherwise we complain about it being slow. It is important to make time for yourself and to just relax. Overall, I enjoyed reading your post, good job!
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