“The clock tells you everything and keeps you busy enough to forget that there could be another way of living your life.” ― Malidoma Patrice Somé,
Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler.
This book recently took up lodging in my ears and chats with me during my commutes and walks. I usually “read” (translation: listen on Audible to) two or three books concurrently. I let myself pick and choose what to digest based on my mood.
Feiler’s book highlights the fact that we live nonlinear lives. He finds that we face dozens of disruptors in our lives, and part of our job in mastering our lives is mastering change. Well written. Easy read or listen. Feel free to buy it and read it. This article lightly touches on the depth of his study and its implications.
BUT something he shares won’t get out of my head and my heart—according to Feiler, our lives shifted when timepieces (clocks, watches, etc.) permanently made their homes in our lives.
Hmmm…..Never thought about that before.
Before timepieces, we didn’t eat at a set time. Time wasn’t a thing in the same way.
Holy cow. We ate when our bodies needed food OR when it made sense to store it up. WE ATE WHEN OUR INTERNAL GPS TOLD US TO EAT….not based on the clock.
I continue to work daily on rebuilding my broken internal GPS.
I wonder about the thousands of ways, large and small, that I abandoned this internal GPS for a timepiece or for someone’s opinion, research, or science that was disproved years later.
Examples:
- Emotions are destructive at work. You will only make good decisions if you are unemotional.
- Never mind! Emotions are great! Emotional intelligence is all the rage.
- Fat is evil. Eliminate it EVERYWHERE.
- Never mind. Extra virgin olive oil benefits us in hundreds of ways. Go Mediteranean diet. Go life!
- Real achievers burn the midnight oil. Success requires such compromises.
- Never mind! Sleep is really, really important. You can’t think if you don’t get enough. Please, please, sleep!
I tease my husband. His app tells him whether or not he slept well or not. Nothing wrong with technology. Love it. Great advances. There is no need to turn the clock back.
Still, I want to re-evaluate and re-prioritize to rebuild my internal GPS.
I have spent much time looking at clocks, science, or other constructs to tell me…
- How I feel
- What matters to me
- What I agree with
- What I disagree with
- What I want
- What I should eat
- What I shouldn’t eat
- How I should parent
- What success looks like
- Etc.
I will not give up my phone or clock or technology, EVER.
But I reserve the right to go away from people, sit by a tree, do nothing, let my mind wander, notice how I feel, and ignore everyone else’s opinions.
Have you abandoned your internal wisdom for outside opinions or research or ideas? Share below.
