The Pace of Life
After a tiring day at school or at work, majority of us proceed on to take a form of transportation home. A minority would walk home from school, probably because he or she stays nearby. This form of transportation exists in many forms, ranging from public transport to private ones like cars. These modes of transportation allow us to travel at constantly fast pace, unachievable by a mere human. These methods for transportation allow us to get around quickly, too quickly perhaps. We have little time to ponder and appreciate the little things in life, except probably for one’s dying few moments. Life is a wonderful thing. There are many things we can appreciate in life, from the little insects to the larger creatures like elephants, the dancing grass to the swaying trees. However, there is one word that can describe a typical human’s life, stress.
Does Bill Gates live a happy life, with all the money, all the fame, all the apartments and houses and bungalows? Or does a farmer from the outskirts of a country live a happy life, despite the hard life and hours of backbreaking work? I feel they both don’t lead happy lives. Bill Gates is the richest man on earth. There is a constant threat of him being killed, kidnapped or robbed by terrorists and robbers. Therefore he has little chances of going around, little privacy due to his guards, and little chance to live normally like anyone else. He is likely to be faced with a lot of stress due to his company. The farmer however, works a lot and gets little respect from most people in the city. His efforts are not met with great appreciation and his pay despite his contribution may be the bare minimum for survival. All these people aren’t happy. Why? One of the causes is due to the fast paced life in the city.
Transportation has greatly sped up the pace of life in the city. With this increment of speed, everything is done at breakneck speed. Despite the speed these vehicles already travel at, the drivers still travel at dangerously high speeds. This goes to show the pace of life is still accelerating, despite its current speed. Now, everything is rushed. There are so many choices, so many things to do, but only one life to live. Increasing the speed at which one takes to do things is seen as a solution, so that one can use his lifespan to the maximum, completing as much things as possible in the time he is allowed to live. However, is that what we humans are truly meant to be?
Look at the butterflies, the fly happily, freely in the morning. Look at the Orang Utans, they enjoy life in the forest amongst the trees. Look at the birds, they wander the sky freely. Look at the whales, they explore deep beneath the oceans and seas. Look at us humans, we are supposedly smarter than all of them. But are we as happy? Are we as free? We have the luxury of vehicles to move around the land, they don’t. We have the luxury of aeroplanes, birds don’t. We have submarines to explore the deep oceans effortlessly, whales have to swim. Are we as content as them? How often do you see a butterfly rushing to go from one place to the other? Maybe the pace of life has long exceeded the speed limit.
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