SUBSIM Radio Room Forums - View Single Post - Qua vadis, Homo S@piens?

Skybird · 11-22-07, 07:04 PM

Too many pieces,
Too much to chew,
How could you ever win,
When you’re so scared to loose –
Stop! Start over-
Start again.
Chris Rea

Our economies dictate the life rythm of modern man. We live by timetables, and the tyranny of the clock, which is not measuring time, but is an automated drum machine, nothing more. Artificially we cut and chop the never starting, never stopping experience that makes our days, into so and so many pieces, phases which get reserved for certain procedures in advance. We plan. We intend. We expect. We start competition against other people, or against fate, in order to keep our goals, and our time table not being overthrown. Here is where we start running through our lives. Here is were we start trying to save time, for later use. But strangely – the more time-economic we plan our acts over the day, the more time we should have saved that way – the more we find out that we have no time left. We move and move and move. For that we have tools transportation, mentally, and mate-rial ones as well. Cars. Trains Busses.

And then one day, all of a sudden - transportation fails: no trains!
Shock! And awe! Our plans: crushed! Our expectations for the day: failed! Our habits: meaningless! It can’t get much worse, can it. Depressing it is. Well, is it?

Surprisingly, many Germans were extremely relaxed and had great sympathy for the traindriver’s strike. They earn a criminally small money, and have very stressing timetables. Also, that all strikes were proclaimed in advance and people could find alternatives early enough, helped a lot to keep anger low.

But the commentator from the FAZ interestingly made the same observation that I had. He saw the passengers that were underway, commuters for the most: suddenly relaxing. As if a burden fell off their shoulders. The railstations were no longer crowded, there was no hectic, because there was no need to rush – because everything was uncertain. You had no longer expectations for the day, you allowed to get surprised by what was about to happen, or not to happen. No time goals to be met. You no longer could hid behind the habit the daily travelling to the job and back had become. You needed to think suddenly. You woke up, creatively searching for possibilities. People started to talk with each other, that usually would pass without a word, without a view. The boring job not threat-ening at the end of the travel, instead the realisation that for the time being: no obligation, and one-self being free to do something different.

All of a sudden, as if a window opened and the sunlight flooded into the room, you became aware that you had: TIME.

The same commentator said, like I did, before reading him, “Entschleunigung” (best translation pos-sibly still is “deceleration”) would be in need for the modern society, that he are too hyped, too drunk of our own speed. But the raildriver decelerated the pace at which communal life usually moves by in a haste indeed, and they did it not philosophically, but materially, physically. Many trains did not move at all.
My boss at work has become a beast over the past years, due to mounting pressure and difficulties. But on some days, when she had to use the train and could not use it, she came much later, and be-lieve it or not, she was far more relaxed. “So much damage no, no worth in speeding around, it can-not be saved all anyway”, she said. For her, it was almost a therapy. Last Monday she told us that she plans to quit. She also said that she came to her mind when sitting on the station some days ear-lier, and could not reach the place where she worked. You don’t believe it? You better do. She even accepts the insecurity of having no follow-up job. “the past days when going to the railway station was insecurity from A to Z”, she said. “It woke me up and made my mind clear to realize that I do not wish this sh!t to go on for the next twenty years. This haste is killing me.”

Wowh...!

I closed my cashdesk, ordered her

to stop working for an hour, and led her to a Starbucks coffee shop nearby. For 45 minutes we sat, and talked friendly for the first time since along time, and not one damn word about the work. For her, the rail strike has become the chance of her life to deceler-ate. She is five years older than me, and has more risks at stake than I have - but still… I still do not really like her. But I was touched by her sudden courage. I hope it pays off for her.

Walk away,
See what it looks like from here.
‘cause if you stay
you will only drown
in a mass of fear.

Chris Rea.

Competing is all nice and well, but man exaggerates it, like certain animal species where the males spend all spring and summer to get involved with the females, and fight against male rivals, and in autumn and winter they are so weak that they are near to death, and many die indeed. He way we misperceive the nature of time, and artificially accelerate it without need, does not only harm our current generation, and the single individual, which becomes sick and by that damages the already damaged community as well. Living under the spell of speed, we pout our whole culture at risk of getting lost, and loosing precious, indispensable knowledge as well. In other words: we do our best to become one of the design sheets on evolutions paper that get blown off the table and flat to the ground. And that maybe does not need a nuclear world war, and no environmental cataclysm, but just ourselves keeping on to run like crazy and not thinking about when enough is enough.

You need a break,
You need to sleep,
You need to find out
Before it gets too late:
Stop,
Starter over, start again.
You better stop, start over –
Start again

Chris Rea

Just think of it. It is your time, and your life. So take your time, before you have run out of life. Give it just five of your precious life’s minutes to reflect on it. Take a breath, plan nothing, take it as it is. You may like the taste of it.

Maybe while listening to this short, wonderful song, which is a real gem of song writing. And who knows - maybe you are one of the lucky ones suddenly seeing that it also could all be so different, and maybe: better.

P.S. I do not expect a huge debate unfolding, but if that nevertheless takes place, keep it friendly please. Nothing wrong in exchanging views and opinions.

11-22-07, 07:04 PM	#2
Skybird Soaring Join Date: Sep 2001 Location: the mental asylum named Germany Posts: 42,630 Downloads: 10 Uploads: 0	Too many pieces, Too much to chew, How could you ever win, When you’re so scared to loose – Stop! Start over- Start again. Chris Rea Our economies dictate the life rythm of modern man. We live by timetables, and the tyranny of the clock, which is not measuring time, but is an automated drum machine, nothing more. Artificially we cut and chop the never starting, never stopping experience that makes our days, into so and so many pieces, phases which get reserved for certain procedures in advance. We plan. We intend. We expect. We start competition against other people, or against fate, in order to keep our goals, and our time table not being overthrown. Here is where we start running through our lives. Here is were we start trying to save time, for later use. But strangely – the more time-economic we plan our acts over the day, the more time we should have saved that way – the more we find out that we have no time left. We move and move and move. For that we have tools transportation, mentally, and mate-rial ones as well. Cars. Trains Busses. And then one day, all of a sudden - transportation fails: no trains! Shock! And awe! Our plans: crushed! Our expectations for the day: failed! Our habits: meaningless! It can’t get much worse, can it. Depressing it is. Well, is it? Surprisingly, many Germans were extremely relaxed and had great sympathy for the traindriver’s strike. They earn a criminally small money, and have very stressing timetables. Also, that all strikes were proclaimed in advance and people could find alternatives early enough, helped a lot to keep anger low. But the commentator from the FAZ interestingly made the same observation that I had. He saw the passengers that were underway, commuters for the most: suddenly relaxing. As if a burden fell off their shoulders. The railstations were no longer crowded, there was no hectic, because there was no need to rush – because everything was uncertain. You had no longer expectations for the day, you allowed to get surprised by what was about to happen, or not to happen. No time goals to be met. You no longer could hid behind the habit the daily travelling to the job and back had become. You needed to think suddenly. You woke up, creatively searching for possibilities. People started to talk with each other, that usually would pass without a word, without a view. The boring job not threat-ening at the end of the travel, instead the realisation that for the time being: no obligation, and one-self being free to do something different. All of a sudden, as if a window opened and the sunlight flooded into the room, you became aware that you had: *TIME. The same commentator said, like I did, before reading him, “Entschleunigung” (best translation pos-sibly still is “deceleration”) would be in need for the modern society, that he are too hyped, too drunk of our own speed. But the raildriver decelerated the pace at which communal life usually moves by in a haste indeed, and they did it not philosophically, but materially, physically. Many trains did not move at all. My boss at work has become a beast over the past years, due to mounting pressure and difficulties. But on some days, when she had to use the train and could not use it, she came much later, and be-lieve it or not, she was far more relaxed. “So much damage no, no worth in speeding around, it can-not be saved all anyway”, she said. For her, it was almost a therapy. Last Monday she told us that she plans to quit. She also said that she came to her mind when sitting on the station some days ear-lier, and could not reach the place where she worked. You don’t believe it? You better do. She even accepts the insecurity of having no follow-up job. “the past days when going to the railway station was insecurity from A to Z”, she said. “It woke me up and made my mind clear to realize that I do not wish this sh!t to go on for the next twenty years. This haste is killing me.” Wowh...!* I closed my cashdesk, ordered her to stop working for an hour, and led her to a Starbucks coffee shop nearby. For 45 minutes we sat, and talked friendly for the first time since along time, and not one damn word about the work. For her, the rail strike has become the chance of her life to deceler-ate. She is five years older than me, and has more risks at stake than I have - but still… I still do not really like her. But I was touched by her sudden courage. I hope it pays off for her. Walk away, See what it looks like from here. ‘cause if you stay you will only drown in a mass of fear. Chris Rea. Competing is all nice and well, but man exaggerates it, like certain animal species where the males spend all spring and summer to get involved with the females, and fight against male rivals, and in autumn and winter they are so weak that they are near to death, and many die indeed. He way we misperceive the nature of time, and artificially accelerate it without need, does not only harm our current generation, and the single individual, which becomes sick and by that damages the already damaged community as well. Living under the spell of speed, we pout our whole culture at risk of getting lost, and loosing precious, indispensable knowledge as well. In other words: we do our best to become one of the design sheets on evolutions paper that get blown off the table and flat to the ground. And that maybe does not need a nuclear world war, and no environmental cataclysm, but just ourselves keeping on to run like crazy and not thinking about when enough is enough. You need a break, You need to sleep, You need to find out Before it gets too late: Stop, Starter over, start again. You better stop, start over – Start again Chris Rea Just think of it. It is your time, and your life. So take your time, before you have run out of life. Give it just five of your precious life’s minutes to reflect on it. Take a breath, plan nothing, take it as it is. You may like the taste of it. Maybe while listening to this short, wonderful song, which is a real gem of song writing. And who knows - maybe you are one of the lucky ones suddenly seeing that it also could all be so different, and maybe: better. P.S. I do not expect a huge debate unfolding, but if that nevertheless takes place, keep it friendly please. Nothing wrong in exchanging views and opinions. __________________ If you feel nuts, consult an expert.