The dangers of living life on a hamster wheel

These are turbulent times. It is fair to say that with tuition fees bouncing further skyward for both home and international students, with protesters across the middle east deciding that the time has come to push for a different state of affairs, and men and women across the western world deciding to occupy the nearest high-profile street, it has become difficult to keep feet planted firmly on the ground. Perhaps I should explain.

While it might be easy to meet someone for a coffee and grumble about various financial crises (be it that of the Eurozone or your own personal one), it becomes hard to remember yourself as an individual. We live in a world where the media remains so overwhelmingly obsessed with everything that is big, bad and scary that it is easy to forget yourself. It is true that world leaders aren’t having an easy time attempting to fill various empty voids with money. It is true that fuel prices are on the up (from the same time several years ago) while the average salary isn’t enjoying such wonders. It is also true that a fair amount of people have decided that V for Vendetta was a wonderful piece of cinema and have thus bought some imitation masks and taken to the streets. My question is this: How will this effect you tomorrow?

I don’t mean tomorrow in a metaphorical way. I don’t mean, how will this effect your future, because obviously it will. The outlook for the young people of today is not exactly bright and full of daisies. What I mean is: tomorrow afternoon, when you are in a lecture, grabbing some coffee, or riding the bus slowly back to Leamington, what will be on your mind?

There is a chance that it will indeed be the current state of the world and its seemingly unending failings. There is also a chance, however, that it will instead be those things which are a little more personal to you; the people you spend your time with, your friends, your family, your boyfriend or girlfriend. It might be the night out you have planned, or it might just be how wonderful that cup of tea is going to be when you get home.

Maybe it’s just me. Maybe I am the only guilty party, but I find that it is all too easy to become wrapped up in the latest awful news bulletin, or to become far too focused on that next errand. Because it’s not just world news that sucks us in. It’s our own, unending to-do lists too. We are at a point in our lives, students of Warwick, when we are deliberating over which way we’re meant be going (this time it is a metaphor). We’re supposed to be deciding upon our futures. We’re supposed to be clutching after all the work experience, internships and vacation schemes we can lay our hands on, whilst at the same time trying to juggle our friends, families, relationships, societies, sports clubs, a degree and still try to have ourselves some fun.

To go on a slight tangent for a second, have you ever noticed the contradictions in the advice we are given? We must be focused on our intended career paths and make our CVs as shiny as they can possibly be, whilst at the same time the words of wisdom come “university will be the best time of your life – make the most of it!” Trying to do both is seeminly contradictory.

But to get to the original point: it is easy to get lost in all this. It is easy to be dragged down by today’s dismal front page headline, or to become wrapped up in the next networking session, the next set of master classes you’ve booked, or the latest careers fair that you need to squeeze in.

This is a warning from someone for whom it may be too late: do not forget yourself. Don’t become so wrapped up and focused on the future that you forget today. Have that coffee with the friend you’ve been meaning to see, and catch up with anyone who makes you laugh. Let that graduate job application go for an hour, and give yourself something to smile about.
Relax; take some time for yourself.

It’s important to remember who you are, and what you’re doing. It’s all very well focusing on the future, but if you keep looking further and further away you’re never going to get there. You’ll miss the present. And now is the most valuable time.