Stop. Collaborate and Listen.

"I don't know. But I've watched them here for twenty years and I've seen the change. They used to rush through here and it was wonderful to watch, it was the hurry of men who knew where they were going and were eager to get there. Now they're hurrying because they are afraid. It's not a purpose that drives them, it's fear. They're not going anywhere, they're escaping. And I don't think they know what it is that they want to escape. They don't look at one another. They jerk when brushed against. They smile too much, but it's an ugly kind of smiling: it's not joy, it's pleading. I don't know what's happening to the world."

That is one of my favorite quotes taken from the book that I am currently reading, Atlas Shrugged. It's an amazing book so far and it is so well-written that I recommend it to any bookworm. Other than my attempts at trying to sell this book to a pair of eyes and an open mind, that passage itself made me wonder: "Why are we always in such a rush?"


There are certain moments in ones life where they stop and actually, well, think. They may think about the future, about the past and only stop to think about the present only to relate it to the future and if there is a chance that, what ever may be going on in life currently, will be rewarding or prove to be of no use. With that said, my moment of reflection was what my step-dad (or pops) had said at the dinner table the other night:

"You know, I heard something interesting today. They were saying on the radio that it is useless to think about the past or the future. If you constantly reflect on your past, and if it was a horrible past, your attitude will constantly be horrible. If you constantly try to see into the future, then you're always going to be worrying. They said that if you just stay in the present then there isn't much to rush."

Now, I may have not gotten the quote exact, but I'm sure you get the point. All of us sitting at the table found it quite intelligent. I suppose it's because there never is an acknowledgement to just stop and remember that the past is over, the future is barely foreseeable and the present is all we have. We're always in a rush. Yet, we always wish to be on a beach somewhere, lying with someone we love or someone really attractive and to have no care in the world besides the sun burning our little noses. But when it comes down to reality, we know that our Blackberry or iPhone must be by our sides because we cannot be cut off from reality cold turkey. No. No, it does not work that way. There seems to be such an indifference or even a naivety that we do not want to face that we're in a loop to be constantly busy.

One can argue that our generation lacks any of the above-mentioned and that argument could be proven to be true, but not in my case. My case stems from the fact that my mother is a control freak. Not the one that is a hoverer, but one that pushes and pushes to the extent that it is utterly annoying, and you are counting down the days that you're free from her. But, it turns out that I have to turn around and say to my own little mother - "You're right." All that she has ever wanted for me in my life is to be successful. Sure, she's been incessant in seeing this done since the day I learned to talk. She's been relentless ever since then and I really cannot blame her one bit. Maybe one day I'll thank her for never allowing me to become a human being that never amounts to anything. I was always pushed to make better grades, to work in a better place or to surround myself with better friends. One day I will thank her.

In the meantime, I'll continue my rant as to why we're always going. There may not be anything truly wrong with always going, but why can't those who are 'on-the-go' constantly just stop - stop to think about what they're actually doing. Personally, I feel the need to be doing something all of the time. If I'm not working, I want to be in school, and if I'm not in school, I want to be doing anything besides nothing. Does this make sense? I apply this all to myself. Even my other half wonders why I must always be going.

I don't want this to be a blog about "Finding your inner self" or finding an "inner purpose", that's all crap. This blog was more to lay a finger on that knot that binds our lives to be some constant spin of trying to accomplish everything in our path. We're all meant for something. It's just about taking the time to stop and focus in on it and then take that step, not leap, forward.