Karōshi (過労死?), which can be translated literally from
Japanese as "
death from overwork".
The struggles that I encountered this year have taught me a lot about the meaning of life. I faced problems that everyone encounters at one time or another. Under-employment, financial instability, relationship stresses, health problems, family crisis, amongst other things. I am so grateful for everything that I went through as I have learned invaluable life lessons though those adversities. Everyone asks themselves in crisis "Why me?". Well through those "Why me's" I learned that the program I was using to navigate my life was the wrong one and if I wanted to have all the things I dreamed about then it would mean changing the way I looked at life, my idea of what happiness means, and how I interact with the world around me. This blog will focus on how my life is changing, why it needed to, and hopefully provide you with some helpful information for you to change yourself to live your highest good. Enjoy!
Living in the city allows you to have the unique opportunity to be a spectator into the lives of millions of others. You see how your neighbors, the people you ride the bus with, workmates, and complete strangers act and the kind of life they have (or you imagine them having). On a huge scale you can look for people who practice similar attitudes and what they have as a result of those attitudes. You can listen into as many phone calls, conversations, interactions, or just observe those who shut themselves down with MP3 and cell phone games.
Riding the bus at different times of the day allows you a window into 3 main stages of people. In the early mornings there is the on the way to work crowd. I do not think there is a happy face in the bunch. Everyone is wearing the same uniform of dark suites, circles under eyes, coffee/breakfast in fast food bags, and the continuous stressed look in their face. I live in Vancouver and when we cross the Granville bridge on the way to downtown there is the be most beautiful view of the ocean and mountains. Crossing it causes extra stress in the commuters face. I see actual fear in these people! Fear that this is their life and they are wasting it doing something they do not really care about but do anyways to buy the things they want, therefore securing "happiness". They are trapped in a continuous cycle of forcing themselves to be unhappy to be happy. You have to work in an unnatural environment, wear the expensive uniform of work attire, eat the food made by someone else, and be in the mindset of self punishment. These are the saddest people I have ever seen. Gazing out into traffic does not offer anymore hope. People are dodging in and out of lanes, honking, swearing, smoking, guzzling coffee, making secret cell phone calls that just cannot wait. There is not a smile crowd.
The next group typically emerges into in the afternoon. They are those who like me are underemployed, stay at home parents, tourists, the elderly, homeless, students, and those on their day off. This is the happiest group of people alive in Western society. This group of people has followed their internal clocks waking up, eating at a reasonable pace, showering at leisure, dressing in a way that expresses their personality, brought some food so that they can allow the day to take them where it will and their expression is that which seems to be thinking about the possibilities of the day. There is some stress in this group that is unique as it is placed upon themselves. There is a lack of place in society. These people perhaps used to work, knew a time when they were busy, went out for dinner, they felt that they had a purpose and respect. Now they perceive themselves in a different way which is the only thing that makes them unhappy and fully able to enjoy their lives. Yes, I do acknowledge that there could be some real stresses such as economic and health problems, but even those can be met and overcome with the right attitude.
The third group emerges in the evening. People in a mad rush to get home. Cars again racing, cutting others off, nearly hitting pedestrians, trying to get home that five minutes earlier to watch a Saved By The Bell rerun while eating cold pizza from the night before. I live on a busy street and watch the look on people's faces as they are stuck in traffic knowing that they are missing time with their family and looking utterly miserable. My fellow bus riders are desperate for seats, not offering courtesy to those who might need the seat as their own exhaustion prevents them from being polite. People are nodding off, starving, rushing, and just trying to shut it all out with their MP3. Sad Sad Sad!!!
So, the first thing that I learned through my difficulties is that the average person is miserable, their schedules do not allow them to be healthy, sleep deprivation is contributing to depression on a massive scale, and what you are wear (not brand but colours) affects your mood.
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.“ ~ Confucius
