I Am not Optimus Prime!

What a strange world that we live in! A world that treats you like a machine. A world that measures the success of a person's life using productivity as the metric. A worldview that prioritizes work or is outcome-based can be quite problematic. The reason is that it tends to treat people as machines by conveniently factoring out the human aspect.

An outcome-based outlook on life encourages individuals to idolize work as the ideal state of being while undervaluing rest. Don't get me wrong, I am not arguing against work, but a system that makes you feel guilty about taking time off has issues. Also, we can agree that human existence is not defined by work.

I find it quite bizarre how we have begun to treat ourselves as machines. We treat our bodies and minds as though we are expendable for the sake of efficiency.

Rest is considered a weakness. Disease is treated as a state that we must recover from as quickly as possible. I am afraid to think about how mental health factors into these fast-paced and hard-working lifestyles.

So, the question remains, why have we created a system that is ashamed of the human experience?

What the world doesn't teach you in your twenties is the consequences of living life as a machine that prioritizes outcomes. You see, there is always a cost. These consequences appear in the later years of life.

These costs are most often present in the form of regrets. You wish that you had taken the time to cultivate that hobby. You regret that you didn't have the time to travel. You wish that you had spent more time with your loved ones. You wish that you had taken to celebrate your life. Regrets are always fashionably late!

Apart from regrets, there are other consequences as well. Our bodies were never meant to undergo chronic stress and fatigue due lack of rest. We get burned out. To keep going, we opt for short fixes that help us make it to the next day.

Oftentimes, we neglect our bodies and opt for fast food since we don't have the time or the energy to cook healthy meals. We put off our doctor's appointments and take the time to care for ourselves. Before you know it, lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes become a reality. It's an odd, vicious cycle!

I think that you get the picture. I used to think that it was normal to have this fast-paced life where you hardly have time for yourself. My entire identity was tied to what I achieved, titles, degrees, and the work that I did. It was all about the grind and working like a machine. I wasn't able to sustain that season of my life because it took its toll on my physical and mental well-being.

It took me a while to understand that I was prioritizing my life wrong. I am the most important part of my life. Second, spending time with my loved ones is important. I want to be present for all the important moments that make me feel alive. I learnt that I can be more productive by taking care of myself.

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So, I am not telling people to stop working, but perhaps encourage others to take the time to meet their needs, take care of themselves, and enjoy life. Life is all about attaining a balance, and it is most definitely not about being productive. It is about prioritizing what matters.

While I would love to be Optimus Prime, I think I'd rather just be me enjoying a good life!,