There seems to be an unhealthy obsession in our culture with the idea of stability. Our pursuit of happiness has somehow been confabulated with a pursuit of stability that in the end leaves us more vulnerable to setbacks and randomness, which simply cannot be plucked out from the fabric of life.
When I talk stability, I am referring to the ideas of eight hour sleeping patterns, 2000 calorie diets, daily gym visits, eight hour office jobs, anxiety medication and painkillers (in some cases not all), and so on. As a species we are not good at handling uncertainty, but with an increasing number of individuals who have resources to alter their environments, we have created a society that strives for stability in the present and the future.
The underlying question here is why is the pursuit of stability an inevitable loss? To me, a stable life is not congruent with the fundamental elements of nature. On the global scale, academics, governments, finance professionals, central bankers, and other professionals have spent much of the last four decades trying to stabilize economic growth. In most developed countries, the result has been that there have been a few years with the desired and predictable positive growth. However, there have been almost a dozen recessions in major economies including the spectacular financial crisis of 2008. Most of these recessions have occurred in the blindspots of our social engineers. Instead of linking their "stabilist" policies with the economic downturns, these recessions cause more and more individuals to enter these fields to pursue a stable economy with their own models, visions and ideas.
In our personal lives, I see friends, family members, celebrities and others having a similar vision. They wish to be in control of the present and the future. Simply put, some of us wish to rid our lives of sadness, anxiety, illness, conflict and unpredictability. Others, less naive, realize this is unattainable, yet cherish a stable life with the (unproved) hopes that it will minimize these nasty forces of life.Yet, the more we micro-manage our lives and try to optimize our time, the more susceptible we become to small setbacks.
To illustrate, imagine the following two scenarios:
What's more frustrating to me is that every time, an individual or group's pursuit of stability fails, they seem to want to pursue stability in a bolder, grander way. We might not like to hear the truth but as far as I know it, we will NEVER fully understand or be in control of ourselves or our world.
My advice is simple: live well, embrace the uncertainty that comes with life, develop habits and a perspective that benefit from changes, and be humble.
When I talk stability, I am referring to the ideas of eight hour sleeping patterns, 2000 calorie diets, daily gym visits, eight hour office jobs, anxiety medication and painkillers (in some cases not all), and so on. As a species we are not good at handling uncertainty, but with an increasing number of individuals who have resources to alter their environments, we have created a society that strives for stability in the present and the future.
The underlying question here is why is the pursuit of stability an inevitable loss? To me, a stable life is not congruent with the fundamental elements of nature. On the global scale, academics, governments, finance professionals, central bankers, and other professionals have spent much of the last four decades trying to stabilize economic growth. In most developed countries, the result has been that there have been a few years with the desired and predictable positive growth. However, there have been almost a dozen recessions in major economies including the spectacular financial crisis of 2008. Most of these recessions have occurred in the blindspots of our social engineers. Instead of linking their "stabilist" policies with the economic downturns, these recessions cause more and more individuals to enter these fields to pursue a stable economy with their own models, visions and ideas.
In our personal lives, I see friends, family members, celebrities and others having a similar vision. They wish to be in control of the present and the future. Simply put, some of us wish to rid our lives of sadness, anxiety, illness, conflict and unpredictability. Others, less naive, realize this is unattainable, yet cherish a stable life with the (unproved) hopes that it will minimize these nasty forces of life.Yet, the more we micro-manage our lives and try to optimize our time, the more susceptible we become to small setbacks.
To illustrate, imagine the following two scenarios:
- Marc lives a very busy life in Toronto and thus, has gotten himself an organizer. He has divided his 24 hour days into a perfect balance of professional appointments, meetings, gym sessions, and personal chores. On the days, everything goes according to schedule, his productivity is absolutely amazing. Yet, on the days when there is a snow storm, heavy traffic or the office printer breaks down, the goals of his entire week are in peril.
- Sandy absolutely hates when she feels anxiety or sadness. A few months ago, her family doctor diagnosed her with a mild case of General Anxiety Disorder and prescribed her a mild dosage of antidepressants. There has been a considerable change in Sandy's behaviours since then. Sandy is more social, less anxious and more balanced. However, due to an unforeseeable injury last week, she was prescribed painkillers. Every morning, she now takes her anti-depressants and painkillers in addition to her birth control pills. The advantages of each of these medications are readily known however, their side effects especially from co-consumption are simply not known.
What's more frustrating to me is that every time, an individual or group's pursuit of stability fails, they seem to want to pursue stability in a bolder, grander way. We might not like to hear the truth but as far as I know it, we will NEVER fully understand or be in control of ourselves or our world.
My advice is simple: live well, embrace the uncertainty that comes with life, develop habits and a perspective that benefit from changes, and be humble.
