Time out!

I grew up when the Puritan Work Ethic was alive and well. You know, "Idle hands are tools of the devil,” "Pleasure is sinful,” etc. It left many of us feeling guilty if we were doing something that wasn’t productive, or, heaven forbid, that we were doing nothing but thinking about things. For today’s generation, the Puritan Work Ethic seems to have taken a different form. Now it’s more like a Madison Avenue Work Ethic. "I must achieve, accumulate and consume and mold myself into what is expected by others and society in general in order to be a worthwhile person.” It’s about how so many have been conned into thinking that the reason they are not happy and content is because they are not trying hard enough to get more — money, achievement, love, the perfect mate and family.

But a great deal is being lost as a result of the "do-it-all” and "have-it-all” mentality when such overscheduled people don’t take time out. Above all, they miss quality family time and rewarding personal interaction with others. It’s so much easier to miss knowing in depth those close to them and to avoid learning to know themselves. They also miss exploring their own creative gifts. They miss out on much that is essential to a fulfilling life. Maybe if they would take time to consider how the Madison Avenue Ethic is impacting them, they’d come up with a better way. Possibly they can start by thinking about what Julia Baird wrote recently in Newsweek about what we may learn from the present recession: "It is clear that ... we should live more simply, consume more wisely, think of generations to come, and wonder what desires we want to plant in our children’s hearts.”

The "Great American Dream” has transformed into an all-consuming monster by corporate greed and individual mindlessness. We are outraged when we hear about so much dishonesty, avarice and disregard for ethics in government and the corporate world. When so many people are so completely engulfed in the rat race, corrupt and/or unscrupulous politicians, corporate leaders and others with influence and power find it easier to have their way with us. The archetype of our society has been orchestrated by the corporate media symphony that cajoles us and compels us to believe that we are imperfect and that we can’t be happy unless we dance to their tune. And the more we become alienated from our inner selves and our personal life story, the greater the chance of being trampled under the feet of such opportunists who, without qualms, will use us for their own purposes.

All of us need to have time to study and reflect upon what’s going on in the world, what other people are thinking about the state of our democracy, and ask ourselves questions like, "What are my own beliefs,” "Where am I headed,” "Is this the direction I want to take,” "How important is it, really, to take time to smell the roses?” If we don’t do this, it’s too easy to fall victim to the mentality of the masses — never looking below the surface, following the leader (whoever we may latch on to) like sheep, and never considering what direction is best for us, much less our country.

"… To have a firm sense of identity, we must allow for a pause or a respite when we can reflect and contemplate, not only what we want from life, but who we are. When we don’t make reflection a priority, we won’t have a well-defined identity. Instead of feeling whole, we are fragmented.” — Melvin Kinder, "Going Nowhere Fast.”

So go on. Take time to "tiptoe through the tulips.” After all, it’s spring!

Since 1984, Dorothy Dimitre has written close to 500 columns for various local newspapers. Her e-mail address is gramsd@aceweb.com.