I heard this line in one of Deepika Padukone's interviews and couldn't agree more with the core of this message.
As a corporate employee, If I nod my head 'yes' to this line, I would straightforward be labeled as unprofessional or incompetent or as someone who doesn't want to work hard and still get paid equal to her other hard-working counterparts.
OR
If I nod in agreement to this as a homemaker, I would be categorized as a non-dedicated and lazy woman who wasn't quite ready to be called someone's wife or daughter-in-law or even better, "run a home".
It's as though our culture has evolved in a way that the most busy ones are the most respected ones. It is hard to establish exactly when the non-availability of time became synonymous with respect and success. I think it is time to shatter this belief, more importantly in one's mindset before anyone else's because with increased incomes, the number of anxious and depressed people between us has also increased, more than ever.
If we start believing in the need of our available time where we take care of our home, our family, our grocery, our fitness, our hobby without being exhausted to the core, we would automatically start respecting other people as well for their leisure time.
Isn't deep down we all want to stay fit & healthy, get promotion & paid more, but the important question is - do we also believe in it?
I say we don't because internally we all believe that if we want to become the apple of our boss' eyes or the darling of our home, we need to be constantly burning out, jump all the way from a PowerPoint deck to the whistle of our pressure cooker. In doing all this, obviously, the toll is taken by our ever tired and slouched body.
We have normalized the culture of working 12-16 hours per day during weekdays and getting sloshed with friends during the weekends. Even worse for the home-makers, where the concept of the weekend itself doesn't exist. Rather, should we not normalize the culture of eating, laughing, playing, or exercising every day with our friends or families or pets?
If we are trying to relax by exhausting more during the weekends, it is further taking away our chance of replenishment for the coming week. This mode of living is ultimately leading each one of us to exhaustion; exhausted minds, body & soul.
Is this the life we had imagined growing up?
Is this even the life we must aspire for?
We had imagined far more than our occupied calendars. We had dreamt of a lovely partner to live our life every day, and not just those in-between vacations. We had imagined for a beautiful home to actually live and make memories in it, and not just consider it a place to crash in after a long tiring day. We had imagined for those cute little kids to unlearn & learn again with them, and not simply become their food or education providers. Money was simply the means to fulfill our wishes. How did all our wishes then turn into minting money? How did we forget the sole reason behind wanting money?
If you are also questioning your current way of living, let's join hands in promoting contended living for everybody and not raise questions about it. Let's make playing with our kids or pets every day the new normal, the way it was always supposed to be. Let's not judge people by the availability of time, rather question them by the non-availability of their time. Let's not call a bulgy stomach the sign of prosperity, rather a fit ab must be singing the tunes of our prosperity. Let's not take pride in not calling our long-lost friends because of the daily hustle, but take pride in retaining those friendships for life.
Let's make NOT BURNING OUT the new normal, the way it was always supposed to be.
