Measuring everything but that which makes life worthwhile

“It's not about the money.
It's about going for a run in the middle of the day.
It's about waking up late.
It's about taking a day off on chronic pain day.
It's about grocery shopping during off-hours.
It's about being free from office politics.
It's about going on a trip without needing permission from a boss.
It's about playing with the neighbor's cat.
It's about having time to read.
It's about writing words and enjoying my work.
It's about connecting with an amazing freelance community.
It's about following a dream.
… My life, my purpose, my goals, my dreams, and my day-to-day was never about money.”

The post reminded me of one of politics' greatest speeches - Robert Kennedy’s at the University of Kansas in 1968. Overlooked at the time, his words regarding GDP have become famous.

He criticized the use of GDP as America’s overarching metric for success. Gross national product, said the Presidential candidate, “does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

States Kennedy, “we have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things.”

Fast forward to 2022 and society still encourages us to value our work and even our leisure purely according to the economic value they create.

How much longer can this go on?

Are there limits to growth and consumption?

Are we all nothing more than good little producers and good little consumers?

And are there limits to our willingness to be measured in this way?

#moretolife #flexibleworking #workculture #leisure