Someone just estimated me at 10x of where I was. And that made me feel small; have I achieved so little?
I started defending all my steps, and my journey.
It finally dawned on me that his maths was flawed.
And now I understand that all of us are flawed.
Why is money the metric for achievement?
I told my wife the other day, that I see prisons everywhere...
My 2 year old kid HAS TO go to school; and my 5 year old also sees that.
And until they are 18 or so, they dont see an alternative; that is just how lives are lived.
These same prisons allow for an unencumbered life, full of joy and love and anxiety and performance pressures.
They then move to "what do you want to learn, in order to be employable"
The college life is a lot more carefree, where personalities are formed and clothing is finally your choice! You finally get to meet real strangers and you start fending for yourself in the world.
What happens next after the age of 22 to 26 is astounding... You HAVE TO report to work. You dress a particular way, speak a particular way, and you HAVE TO show up everyday and put a smile on your face. Unlike school, you cant choose to be in a grumpy mood or plain refuse to speak to anyone.
And the sad reality is that a lot of people spend a huge chunk of their hours being at work, managing chores, and very simply, imprisoned by the daily grunt of being fit, looking fit, and showing up at work.
And then, by the age of 55-70 there is another astounding change.
People stop working, and start preparing for a life of 'nothing'. There is finally, no showing up at work, fewer pretenses, and there is now a mad scramble to hope you are fit and wealthy enough to live a full life.
And all of this can be traced back to forms of industrial revolution and colonialism, where the school culture and the work culture began.
And this brings us to what they call the 30s crisis, where people have now started having kids and they are forced to assess their health and if this is the life they want to live. They quit, go freelance, and start their own business so as to be more free.
Just last month, when I was faced with absolute freedom, I realised that beyond books, TV, reading for work and exercise there was precious little to life unless we find ways to reconnect with people. I suppose that this is the current plight of the people - we would much rather doom scroll than face life.
