I am currently looking at some of the areas of brokenness in suburbia, which includes hyper-busyness. Edward Hallowell, author of Crazybusy, http://www.amazon.com/CrazyBusy-Overstretched-Overbooked-Strategies-Fast-Paced/dp/0345482441/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-0811016-6015263?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178742797&sr=8-1, states that "we stay busy to avoid looking into the abyss."
Busyness is an attempt to control our lives, and to not face the emptiness that we may feel. If we slow down, we may realize that we have few meaningful relationships in our lives, or we may have to deal with life's difficulties.
I am a very busy person, a high achiever. This has its benefits, and Paul certainly fell into this mode. Sometimes, though, I wonder if I am addicted to this life. That I might not be able to slow down if I wanted to.
What do you guys think--are we addicted to speed and activity? Does being busy give us a feeling of importance or cause us to ignore problems in our lives?
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2 comments:
I agree. Busyness keeps us from looking at our lives. Sometimes it's because we don't know any better, we've just allowed it to spiral out of control. Other people don't like to be introspective, so they stay busy. They don't want to hear their conscience tell them that things are not what they seem. If they stay busy then it drowns out the thoughts. If you slow down, listen, and then reflect...it could mean changing things. Some people are more comfortable with a busy lifestyle, especially if they are the kind of person who when they wake up, see an empty calendar and feel they aren't important, popular, needed, expected, valued, etc.
Looking into the abyss means facing your fears head on. Who really wants to do that?
Cynthia,
You say that "sometimes it's because we don't know any better." How true. We are most blind to he problems or sins of our own culture, such as materialism or, in this case, hyper-busyness.
And yes, none of us relishes the idea of deep self-examination. But this is necessary for spiritual growth.
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