‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.’
William Henry Davies
Life is changing. We are all trying to cope with its fast pace. No sooner than we are born, the race begins. Parents are in a hurry for their children to learn just about everything. They want to groom them into all-rounders, well versed with the arts, proficient in sports and above all, geniuses in their studies. Anything less than this is a cause for concern and anxiety. Any child who shows reluctance may be subjected to criticism and ridicule.
As the weary child manages to grow up in this competitive environment and coaxed to tread on the path to success; levels of expectation reach gigantic proportions. Success is measured more in terms of monetary outcome of prodigious endeavours at work. World over, everyone is rushing. The warmth and comfort of leisure are lost.
People across the world seem to be in some sort of a trance, running around like zombies, searching for something. Scientists are spending endless hours on research, trying to develop technology to the extent that they want to create another world on another planet. Weapons are being developed to safeguard national interests and work is being done on developing cures for deadly diseases that are on the rise. Amidst all of this, innocent pranks and lazy, sun-soaked days have lost their place. Do we ever ponder whether this is progress at all or are we simply tightening the noose around our necks? To me, it seems that soon enough, we will reach a saturation point and then there would be total chaos. I don’t want to or intend to sound like the prophet of doom if I do but only to bring home the fact that striving for success is commendable; only not at the expense of inner peace. A balance needs to be arrived at. We need to rediscover the joy of simplicity and the value of contentment.
Written by
Deepika Gupta
PGT – English
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