We will be UNPLUGGED over the holidays...
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Some thoughts to ponder over the holidays...
In our electronic world of smart phones, ipads, laptops, blue-tooth headsets, email, facebook and twitter, we are now hyper-connected to everything, including hyper connected to our work. Taking care of business at 7 pm on a Saturday evening is not rare, especially as a passionate entrepreneur. It can be very easy to forget about the "real" world all around us and blur the line between work and family / leisure time.
Right now I am reading a book called Mortgage Free, by Rob Roy. The book details out strategies for getting out of debt, while maintaining a very high quality of life. A lot of the time we work so hard because of commitments that we have made, the two biggest are usually a mortgage and a car payment. Most people believe that the only way to shelter and transport your self in our culture is to engage a debt system that commits you to this hamster wheel of debt. One of the main consequences of debt, coupled with uber connectivity, is the decline in leisure time.
This year during the holiday season I encourage you to take some time and think about these things. Think about what is truly important in this world, both to you and your family and to future generations. Ask yourself if the path that you are on is leading you in the direction that you want to go, and more importantly if your electronics, job and debt are serving you, or, if you are serving them.
In 1991 Harvard economist Juliet Schor wrote a fascinating treatise on our entrapment in a voluntary (or involuntary) work ethic that turned us into a nation of workaholics. The Overworked American: Unexpected Decline in Leisure (Basic Books 1991). Here are some interesting excerpts from her book:
Since 1948, the level of productivity of the US worker has more than doubled. In other words , we could now produce our 1948 standard of living in less than half the time. Every time productivity increases, we are are presented with the possibility of either more free time or more money. We could have chosen the four hour day. Or a working year of six Months. Or every other year off from work – with pay. (pg.2)
- Half of this country's population now say they have little time for their families (pg 11.)
- Before capitalism, most people did not work very long hours at all. The tempo of life was slow, even leisurely; the pace of work relaxed. (pg.44)
- A Harris poll finds that since 1973 free time has fallen nearly 40 percent- from a median figure of 26 hours a week to slightly under 17. (pg.22)
The ironic thing with these statistics is that as we produce more, we also consume more, which makes it harder to make ends meet. It is the opposite of what Ghandi said “live simply so others can simply live”. In addition, our desire to “get ahead” is not just hurting us, it is hurting people all over the planet.
This holiday season we will not be checking our email, our phone or our mobile, we will be enjoying the outdoors, spending time with our friends and family and ensuring that we are doing our best not to contribute to the GDP.
This year I will be writing more about living off the grid in every sense of the word. Until then have a great unplugged holiday! See you all in January!
- Rob
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