So, I have not had the time to visit Twitter in what seems like ages. I miss my friends there! Since I am starting to visit once again (no time to tweet…sigh), I decided that my first stop is the ever popular voice of despairing reason (?), Umair Haque:
Actually, he is a clever mix of reason, dissent, dark humor, and so much more, on top of being an economist fit for the 21st century humanitarian. I wanted to see if his tone has changed any from the last time I checked in (ages ago), considering how delightful (emphasize with heavy sarcasm) our global situation is at the moment. Needless to say, he is pretty disgusted. And why wouldn’t he be, when you’ve read his blogs and books that tell of another way to live that would be so much more beneficial for all of us???
He was giving pointers…or should we call them life prods…on how we can change the world around us by starting to change ourselves first. I love when he goes down this road because he really can make you feel like possibilities are so much more tangible. The two that I’m sharing are two that I revolve around myself, which is why I am so excited for the changes that are happening in my life at the moment (as well as being scared s**tless).
What’s your purpose? Not what do you do for a living, because we all know that question really is not so meaningful for so many of us. But what is the reason for your existence? Well that, my friend, is a meaty question that forces you to confront who you are. Or more importantly, who YOU think you are. Not your parents. Not your boss, Not your significant other. Not even your friends. How would you want a stranger to see you upon that first impactful meeting? That means that you have to do some soul searching to see if you are really doing what you feel that you should be doing.
Some people will be satisfied with punching into a time clock EVERY SINGLE DAY. But more and more, we’re looking around at all of those people who have done this for a major portion of their lives and noticed that many of them don’t seem so happy with their lot in life. Our predecessors (parents, grandparents, etc.) are waiting for that all important retirement to start to live their lives. What would they have been like if they had been doing that their entire lives? Do you think that they would be different people than they are today?
Food for thought…
Yeah, we’ve been told to do what we love in our free time. But seriously, who has any free time these days? Bills, mortgages, gas for your car, food for yourself…the list that requires money is long and getting longer every day. But how much of this stuff that we crave is really going to make a real difference in our lives? When you face a major change in your life that forces you to take a new and unknown road, you really start to think hard about this.
Honestly, I feel like a fool who was sold a bill of goods, maybe even a lovely bridge for a small modest monthly payment…for eternity. Suddenly, the money flying out for something that I can live without makes you feel like you’ve been an idiot. Especially when you see how much you’ve paid into the dream, and realized that the dream is getting no closer than it was the day you started running in that round treadmill that looks mysteriously like a hamster’s wheel. WHAT WAS I THINKING?
Watching the news around the world, the only comfort that we can gain is that a whole lot of people are starting to wake up from the nightmare. To call this life a dream insults what a dream is really supposed to be about. And that’s what Umair keeps reminding us, year after year.
How is he not exhausted from it all?! No wonder he’s been pissed off lately. Check out his Twitter feed if you need proof. It hasn’t been joyful for quite some time. Here is an honest-to-goodness economist who gets what life is supposed to be about. But he can’t do it alone. We’ve all got to start getting pissed off.
Are you pissed off yet? I AM!!! And I’m planning to use the anger as a motivating energy that will push me into new action. Something meaningful. If it’s the last thing I do.
just saying…
Here’s some more amazing words from Umair at HBR that’s among my favorites: Declare Your Radicalness
“Don’t accept the old order. Get rid of it.” – Johnny Rotten
