I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the how we’ve evolved as a society over time. Yes, prepare yourself for mass generalizations in this post.

We consider ourselves to be evolved as a society and as a race. Many people around the world earn their living by working in offices and sitting at computers. High-tech devices including computers, cell phones, Blackberries, laptops, and of course the internet have enabled us to communicate faster, work faster, and save us time.

So why do we have so little free time?

I read a book a few months ago that spoke about a CEO of a large corporation who moved to a remote part of Hawaii and began his life anew. He lived in a small hut, lived off the ocean and the land, and surfed every day. He didn’t need to make any money because he didn’t need to spend any money. Although this kind of life isn’t for everyone, it sounds amazing to me. Too good to be true, almost.. but I realize this is a pretty extreme example.

Why is it that we require so many “things” in life to be happy? I feel like we’re all running a rat race and we’re not really gaining anything.

How is it that we have all this amazing technology and incredible advances in so many aspects of our lives but we can’t find much time for ourselves, or even for our loved ones?

Many of us don’t live wholly off the land; we go to the supermarket. Many of us don’t do manual labour for work… we don’t build or hunt or even defend. The most “physical” “jobs” in the world are perhaps professional sports, and we revere these incredible athletes. But they’re just playing a game. Why are manual labour jobs considered so inferior to typing on a keyboard in a concrete high rise? If this were pre-historic times, all of us keyboard typers would be dead!

So despite all these devices that are supposed to save us time, why are our work hours getting longer? Why do we work from home and on the weekends? Shouldn’t it be the opposite? We’re all spending so much money on expensive mattresses, sleep therapy, psychiatrists, fitness centres, all-inclusive resorts, self-help seminars and books, spa treatments, house cleaners, personal assistants, and different pillows that can solve our sleep problems. The promise of being happy, healthy, and relaxed is so elusive. Despite all this, we find ourselves busier, poorer, and more stressed just trying to afford the things that may be the magic fix.

I wonder if I’m just idealistic for hoping that someday society in North America can come to a compromise where people can have more time. More time to travel, more time to be with family, more time to sleep, more time to meditate, more time to enjoy nature, more time to be ourselves.

Is this dream ever possible? Or as a human race, are we always going to be trying to run so fast through life that we run ourselves into the ground?