Our Predicament in Four Words

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I often wonder about the dominant characteristics that define most of human behaviour at this point in history. In this exploration with other people in our team, we have come to four words that represent the ways of being for most of us on the planet.

More, Busy, There and Easy.
  • More
More factories, more products, more impact. More has almost become synonymous with better. This is bred from a constant space of scarcity of what we have and a possibility of aspiring to have something more. Does more at any point bring fulfilment? It definitely keep the economy running.
  • Busy
Most of us are busy doing something. Experience of leisure has become rare. Busy lifestyles that are borne out of auctioning people’s time to large corporates or inter connected systems or our small smart phones. Interestingly, today's times are marked by mindless busyness. And sometimes, we are too busy to find time for things/people that matter.
  • There
Everyone seems to be working to get somewhere ‘there’ (in the future) at the cost of ‘here and now’. All of school life is a pursuit of becoming somebody in the 'there'. So is most of the human life.
  • Easy
Convenience has been the new tyranny of all our systems. 200 years of industrialisation, we have chased 'ease'. Whether it is ease of doing business or ease of getting food delivered. Linked this wonderful piece by Tim Wu.


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