Karoshi - a Japanese term which means 'death from overwork.'
Technology was meant to liberate us from the drudgery of work, to allow more time for leisure. Instead, it's become an addiction. There has been incredible growth in global economies, ushered in via the connectivity and speed of technological advances. But, it hasn't created more time. Have we chosen money over time? Stuff over leisure? Busyness over enjoyment?
I like to think of life as a constantly changing sum of different seasons. Seasons of hard toil, rest, leisure, saving, spending (on the right things), accumulating and giving away. In an almost ecclesiastical exclamation, I note that there is a time for everything. Which is why this past month has been pure bliss. Not having to study or work creates opportunities for lots of random adventures and Sydney's one of the best places to find yourself lost.
And I am finally cured of my tech-addiction. The new Ipad's out and I haven't even bothered to check out the video. That's a big step for me. My email and facebook get a look once or twice a week and my phone gets a peek a few times a day. Social isolation? Far from it. I've managed to keep in touch with friends, have fun and do all the things I normally would. The bonus is being able to read two books in two weeks, explore a few new suburbs in Sydney and plenty of time for soaking in the beautiful sunshine and enjoying the stunning sunsets in my part of town.
One of the greater pleasures of life, I find, is to sit on a couch with a cup of tea and a block of dark chocolate, watching the sun's fluid descent, while musing over the simplicity of life.
