Fast lane not always quickest way to go!

Life is busy. Busy people can accomplish more within the same period of time than non-busy people, but being busy doesn’t equal being diligent or proficient. Being busy does not mean getting lots of things done well. Being busy seeing people doesn’t necessarily increase our social network or win friends for us.

One thing for certain, a busy life makes our entire being tense up. We frequently look at our watches, checking the time, making sure that nothing has been missed. We go faster and faster until things spin out of control. Our actions become brisk and abrupt, and we become short-fused.

As I grow older, life in the fast lane doesn’t seem to be taking me to places faster. Rather, it makes me bad-tempered. I get upset when people who work with me do not understand me fast enough. My speech gets faster, but I don’t always make myself clear. Being busy can mean that I am not being thorough. More often than not, being busy means that I am hard pressed for time, and I become rude. I easily forget my manners. Regrettably, as E.M. Forster wrote, “Rudeness poisons life.”

Are we missing something?

Hong Kong is known for its efficiency, and because we are so busy—and therefore short of sleep—some of us sleep standing up. Do we know what we have missed by being so fast? What have we sacrificed to be efficient?

Wake me when I get there!

For Reflections on Nursing Leadership (RNL), published by the Honor Society of Nursing, Sigma Theta Tau International.