dizzy

I think one of the things that can hinder us from productivity is the internet. Tumblr, emails, blogs, google, twitter, facebook and all those other social networks.

 That we can find, see or say anything in a flurry of text and a click of a button - it scatters us. It makes us impatient. And, I believe, it makes us numb. 

Scrolling through tumblr blogs has trained my eyes to flicker lickety-split over the beautiful photographs. I fly through a blur of colour and creativity until something captures my eye. In barely a second I size the photo up. Does it have that special something? Is it interesting enough? Is it me? If so, a click or two and it appears on my blog. If not, I'm back - skimming through the pages of exquisite beauty.

Someone has taken each one of those photographs. Every one is unique, special and so lovely. Yet "I don't have time", I tell myself, to look closely at each one. To notice the details. Admire the composition and light. To imagine the stories that lie behind. 

Yes. Life is short. Time is precious. And this is why we can't afford to whiz through it all, dull our senses by demanding the best, seeking the perfect. 

We seem to thirst after perfection. Spend our lives chasing after it. Look on anything that isn't perfect as useless, or ugly. We're becoming almost Nazi-like in our outlook on life. Selecting the best out of the mass, adding it to our collection - discarding the rest. Don't we do that with people too, sometimes?

Are they interesting? Smart? Funny? Creative? Do they 'click'?
Yes?
In they go to our exclusive group of friends. Someone who we would be happy to share our time, money and love with. What if they don't suit our standards? We drop them. Let them go. Keep searching. 

Abortion is another example of this relentless hunt for flawlessness and our stinginess with what we have to give. Tens of thousands of lives are being wiped out around the world each day. 

Each one full of potential. He could have made his grandfather laugh. She could have written a song that touched the hearts of thousands. His dad could have taught him cricket in the backyard. He could have saved a life. 

But those precious lives are cut short before they even have a chance. 

Why?

Not enough money. Not enough time. Not enough love. Or, sometimes, it's just not what was wanted. She was a girl. They wanted a boy.

We are spinning faster and faster, spiralling out of control. Busy, stressed, instant, easy, quick....' I've noticed these words more and more lately. In advertisements for wrinkle cream. On soup packets. On billboards along the highway. In book titles. People want it perfect, and they want it pronto. 

Slow down. Look closer. Marvel in the details.