Fellow blogger Dave Phipson this week posted a most provocative piece entitled "no time for inspiration". In it, he bemoans a problem I suspect many, if not all of us experience - the critical shortage of hours in a day. He writes:
"For millennia 24 hours have been enough for the human race (including the necessary time for rest), but life in the 21st century demands more of the day that it is able to deliver. We have run into a bit of a problem with the physical laws that govern the Universe, and it wouldn't surprise me if there are people working in lab coats in some top secret location somewhere underground, trying to slow time, attempting to change the Universe to suit our needs"
I'd go a step further than Dave - more than a "bit of a problem", it would seem the Universe is actually thumbing it's nose at us, belittling us for our short-sightedness yet at the same time, almost challenging us to put things right.
The problem however is that our days have become thoroughly strip-mined by a seemingly innocuous yet apparently indispensible invention of the Industrial Age. (And it's not Facebook). We emerge from our slumber to feed it. We rise early to confront it. We mainline on caffeine just to cope with the pressures it exerts on us.
It is, of course, the humble "to-do" list.
When, some distant day in the future, the full and unabridged history of mankind is eventually compiled and catalogued, its pages will no doubt speak of the great evils and travesties committed by mankind - genocides, wars, pogroms and the like. To some degree, these will be countervailed by tales of great inventors, courageous humanitarians and wise leaders.
But perhaps the most tragic of its installments will attest to stuff that was actually meant to happen but which never did because well resourced and capable men and women fell slave to the most tyrannical of sceptres ever known - the to-do list. Indeed, will the record reflect a greater despot?
"When your outputs exceed your inputs your upkeep becomes your downfall"
No comments:
Post a Comment