Thursday, May 28, 2009
The Paradox of our Time
It's always politics when I write but today, the business student that I am presented something old in a new way to me. I just got back from my Strategic Management class, it's the most mind blowing subject for all business students around and thankfully, Dr. Winnie, my favourite lecturer is the instructor for the subject. She's not a Mandelatic like me, born over 50 years ago, she's a Harry Porter fan.
Dr. Winnie will always immerse exciting photos and stories in her lecture notes, from Hollywood images to grand business models, what she does is always amusing and prolific. Today, she shared with us "The Paradox of Time", she said it was profound, If it's known to you, it wasn't to me. People of Mandela, search your souls, reflect and enjoy below the paradox of time:
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, but shorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but less judgment; more experts, but more problems; more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get angry too quickly, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too seldom, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often. We've learned how to make a living, but not a life; we've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor. We've conquered outer space, but not inner space; we've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul; we've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We write more, but learn less; we plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait; we have higher incomes, but lower morals; we have more food, but less appeasement; we build more computers to hold more information to produce more copies than ever, but have less communication; we've become long on quantity, but short on quality.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion; tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships. These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare; more leisure, but less fun; more kinds of food, but less nutrition.
These are days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throw away morality, one-night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer to quiet to kill.