Productivity
“I push
every day against the forces that say you have to go faster, be more
effective, be more productive, you have to constantly out do
yourself, you have to constantly out do your neighbor—all of the
stuff that creates an incredibly productive society, but also a very
neurotic one.”
Elizabeth
Gilbert
Capitalism is an economic
and political system that values productivity above all else. When I
think about the history of capitalism, my first image is of men
working in steel mills or in coal mines—digging and hacking and
chopping, sweating and grinding themselves down, coming out at the
end of the day covered in soot and exhausted. As the day shift
trudges out, the night shift marches in. Work never ceases. Today
there are fewer of us doing those jobs, but we are still driven to be
constantly productive.
Productivity is okay;
it's a good thing, but it isn't everything. We have been taught “work
hard, play hard.” We think that means to go full throttle all the
time, and call some of it work and some of it play, but whatever you
do, don't stop. Then we wonder why we feel exhausted, anxious and
depressed. We've been sold a bill of goods.
Our job here on planet
earth is not to outdo or overdo. It is not to work ourselves to
death. It is simply to be true to ourselves, and do what we are best
at doing. The four quadrants of our inner being—body, mind, heart
and soul—need to be given equal time if we are to “live long and
prosper.” So, here are some new goals: learn to be effective at
being soulful, strive to be mindful in the present moment; allow your
body-mind to rest and wander and day dream. These are the things that
make for a happy, healthy and satisfying life. And your ability to
produce will be greatly enhanced by them. I guarantee it.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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