Funny how distinct statements produce certain assumptions. And another word for certain assumptions is “presumptuous” or “presumptuousness.” Let me illustrate:
I may ask you how you're doing, and you tell me that you're “busy, busy, busy.” Or you might say, “really tired, man.” We hear those words—not interchangeable by any means, but perhaps the most over-used for today's discussion—and we are impressed with the badge of busyness, the honour of exhaustion.
I beg to differ, if you don't mind. (Actually, I beg to differ, even if you do mind.)
I seriously wonder if there is a sense of busyness that is actually a cover-up for simple disorganization. In other words, methinks many of us are seemingly run off our feet because there are too many demands on our time (possibly true), when, in fact, there is a woeful lack of pre-planning and thinking things through. That may involve after-school activities for the kids, shopping trips, house chores, and other good and noble things--not just time-fillers.
A little more fore-thought could mean a lot more time.
The same can be said for the laudable “really tired, man.” I am thinking that might be the same as “stayed-up-too-late-playing-stupid-computer-games” reason, which is kin to “just-not-eating-properly” or “snarfing-too-much-junk-food.” Sometimes, and I mean only sometimes, we are so tired because we are so undisciplined. And then we get so undisciplined because we are so tired. Then tired because...well, you get the picture.
Did I always think this way? Act this way? Are you kidding me? For years, I was always up past midnight, savouring every moment of the day until I could no longer function. And I cannot tell you how many times I was (almost) late for work, all because of one late night after another.
Why? Well, because I was so “busy” and so “tired.” Now I look back and say it was because I was disorganized and undisciplined.
These last ten years or so, and especially the last five, have seen a drastic change in my intake and output, that is, things I take on and things I get done. I believe I am more busy and more tired than ever before, but I would never hide behind those demands—especially to impress people, to gain their sympathy. I'm in bed earlier these days, up earlier in the morning, and get far more done than I ever did when I was a kid in my 30's.
It's like a math formula: More organization plus more discipline equals more results.
Hence, I am somewhat empathetic (as opposed to “sympathetic”) with the kids of today who are always so busy and too tired. Two questions come to mind: What are they busy with and what are they tired from? They have more gadgets and toys to theoretically make life quicker and smoother; they have more services at the tip of their fingertips (literally).
You might say they have more time on their hands (pun wonderfully intended).
I hesitate to flip back the pages of time and go to our parents' (or grandparents') generation, but it fits here. They had far less helps to save time, but somehow had far more time to build relationships and get things done. Go figure. Because of the demands on their time and energy, they appear to me to have been more organized and more disciplined. Money, time, resources, and energy were in short supply, so they had to be on top of everything they did. Those trips to the big city, for instance, were carefully planned out; there was no wasting a trip to town to do one thing only.
I think (notice my gracious tone, people) we are producing a generation that is marked by me-ism, instant this and that, and throwaway everythings. That rubs off on the workplace, the marriage, plus other relationships and institutions. And this can be traced back to those two simple words, “busy” and “tired.”
The trouble is, people may be legitimately busy or tired and mean it when ask them. I am obviously not referring to them. Nor I am not even judging those who struggle with time and energy management. I just find it an unfortunate waste.
I'll develop these thoughts further when I am not so, ahem, busy or tired myself.
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