Undercover Baubles
Originally uploaded by CW.
Tired this morning. Wish I could stay home and in bed under the covers today – but there is too much to do at work today for taking a sickie. In any case, it’s not worth it for me as I always feel far too guilty to enjoy the day off.
Dandenong scene, Victoria
Originally uploaded by CW.
M took this picture when we went to Melbourne in February this year. We went up into the Dandenong Ranges for a family wedding. It was very beautiful and green up there, even in February. Completely different to Perth, where February is hot and dry and most of our plant life is dry and brown.
Looking at that picture makes me think of … The Meaning of Life. Sorry, a bit of an eye-rolling statement, I know… It’s just that that picture is of such a peaceful place, with no technology intrusions, and I’m thinking about the pace of life, and all the things we do in a day. All the technology solutions that we have now, they’re supposed to make us more ‘productive’, but what does that actually mean? I think it just means we are expected to do more. How much of what you do everyday actually makes a difference? Will it all matter in the end?
So many of the students I work with have so many pressures to deal with – they work, have lots of family commitments, and try to study on top of it all. They come to class at 6pm, after a long day at work. They all tell me that they just want everything to be “full text”, that is, they want all the academic journal articles they have to read to be available with a click of the keyboard. Why isn’t everything online? is the common question. I try to respond with my usual librariany spiel about how knowledge is generated, the information cycle, the realities of publishing, yadda yadda, but the reality is that for these students, they don’t have the time!
I have another RSS session to present at work today. So I’ll be saying to the staff and students who turn up, look, here is another way to keep up with the huge deluge of information that is available out there. Is it just me, or is it sad that we even think about our professions in this way, always having to keep up? What happens if you fall behind? Is life a race? Why am I having a Meaning of Life crisis at 6:30 in the morning?
I think I’ll go and wash my hair.
Categories: work-life-balance, meaning-of-life, RSS
3 Comments
Info overload is a problem. Tech hasn’t made life easier that’s for sure. Everywhere you go, having more things flashing info at you just tires a person out.
I admire your students. Some of my friends have done the work during the day, study their MBA during the night thing. And I could never do it because everytime I get back from work I know I just want to dump my brain on the side. Kudos to those with families too.
RSS can help for sure. But only if you also manage your time well and that’s not easy, especially for women I’d say. So the question one has to ask is: when is enough, enough? How far up the corporate ladder or the accumulation of wealth is worth the quality of your life in the present? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? 🙂
Yes, i always wonder about this. We have to fit so much into our lives these days. With technology more is expected of us, there’s no excuse for being left behind anymore, with info supposedly available 24/7.
Mooiness’ comment about people with families juggling work and home commitments etc., reminded me of how i always used to wonder (actually, i still do wonder) at how Mater used to juggle fulltime work and five sprogs. I don’t know if i’d be as adept at it. Sure, there was help but, still… i’m knackered just thinking about it.
Mooiness: I admire the students too. I don’t think I could stay awake or focussed in a class after a long day at work, and these ones not only stay focussed, they think and ask questions and discuss issues! Some of them are so determined.
As for your questions: when is enough, enough? How far up the corporate ladder or the accumulation of wealth is worth the quality of your life in the present? Is there a light at the end of the tunnel? I think we all ask these questions at different times!
Cherry: Ya, I take my hat off to women who juggle families and work. I know women who have 2 -3 kids, have busy teaching loads, have their PhDs or are doing them, as well as being expected to contribute energy, time and thought to various other committees and causes. I don’t know how they do it. I know I have it easy, not having a kid!