Seasons

Recently I have started creating space to re-examine aspects of my life. This reflection is partly the result of a restless nature and partly due to poor health. It’s funny how forced recouperation forces one to trace back steps that got them to the breaking point.

I can’t say I’m very far into this contemplative mind set, but one thing that has immediately been brought back to the surface is a desire for seasons. Some people can grind through putting in long days doing the same thing day after day. The ultra marathoners of life. But even they need an off season. Others are sprinters going all out for a short period before needing a rest. I suspect I’m more of a middle distanter, not blazing fast from the start but also lacking the endurance to rack up the miles. Our American culture seems to like to combine the endurance of a marathon with the speed of a sprint and any runner would tell you that is completely ludicrous and not at all sustainable.

So where does that leave us? Seasons. Every sport has its season, a time of competition, a time of rest (or less intense training), and a time of ferocious training to get to peak condition. To ignore the rest is to get injured. To ignore preparation and getting in shape is to risk injury as well.

Along with smallpox, guns, and plethora of laws, the Europeans brought with them a concept known as the Protestant Work Ethic. (Note the usage of Protestant not just the generic title of Christian.) Many people associate this work ethic with a verse found in the Bible encouraging Christians to "do everything wholeheartedly as unto the Lord" Col 3:23. This belief, coupled with the martial law "those who don't work, don't eat" that was enforced so the colonists wouldn't starve, form the roots of the American dream. A dream that is a driving factor to how we measure success.

While the Protestant Work Ethic may provide a base to build on, there are multiple factors contributing to valuing hard work in the States. A more recent contributor to our breakneck pace has been technology. Much like the cotton gin revolutionized slavery, technology has allowed us to be even more productive in a day. Instead of savoring the time saved by modern invention, we have instead filled the space with more goals and expectations, creating a towering mass of unhealthy and unsustainable reality. It may be that someday technology will do the heavy lifting and people will have more time to relax and enjoy life. But we aren't quite there yet. Instead we live in a time where memes document how success only brings more work. A time where expectations are becoming impossible to maintain. And then, in the midst of all of this comes COVID.

I'm not going to pretend that COVID is a good thing, or that nations being on lockdown is healthy. That would be dishonoring the fears and frustrations of pretty much everyone I know. But COVID has forced us into a slower paced season, one where expectations have been (mostly) lowered as people simply try to survive the day.

Work is good. Work is gives people a purpose, a sense of satisfaction, and allows them to support themselves while contributing to society. But as a wise man once said:

There is a time for everything,

    and a season for every activity under the heavens (Eccl 3:1)