Depending on your cultural background, the words that you associate with past decades would probably elicit nods of appreciation and laughter from people who share the same memories. If you come from an unfortunate history, these key words could also elicit dread and sadness.
As the world becomes more globalized, the dominant notes that come out of the international business language in the 21st century are… you guessed it… “Everything’s good, it’s been very very busy!”
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
My mouse-pad has an image of a woman jumping off the edge of a cliff into the deep blue sea, and these words are scribbled in bold across the image.
I intentionally chose this mouse-pad during my first week on the job because I knew that I would need the reminder. It has certainly served its purpose of keeping me on my toes, all too aware of the dangers of getting too comfortable.
I grew up with an unconventional childhood, to say the least. Moving from country to country, chasing after my father’s career (I’m very proud of him!), made it quite impossible for me to get too comfortable. I did not have a consistent home, school, or friends. I did not have any roots or life-long activities to boast of. I never really knew what “settling down” would be like until I started my first stable job, got married, and bought a house. What could be defined as everyone else’s “American dream” is the absolute nightmare of a Third Culture kid like me, because my family and our lifestyle taught me that growth and development go hand in hand with movement and change. This is why I am acutely aware of just how dangerous (and boring!) excessive comfort can be.
Solitude has been exalted by history’s greatest writers as the foundation of enlightenment and, as would naturally follow from this newfound wisdom, good writing. One of my favourite authors, Gibran Kahlil Gibran, reflects on solitude as “a silent storm that breaks down all our dead branches [yet] sends our living roots deeper into the living heart of the living earth.” This kind of solitude is creative, self-reflexive, and critical. It is very unlike the isolating solitude you and I may be experiencing today: empty, detached, and quiet despite all the movement, noise and people surrounding us.
It’s safe to say that we are more connected than human civilization has ever been. A short 3 decades ago, had I told my grandmother that she would be able to send me pictures and voice notes instantaneously from half-way across the planet, she would have laughed off my silly childhood faith in that kind of impossible magic. Today, my grandmother can enjoy a roller coaster ride with me in high definition 360° virtual reality if she wants to, and it wouldn’t even surprise her.
Whoever you may be, you have probably performed some kind of cultural ritual to call on Lady Luck once or twice in your life. For me, it was often a cross of the fingers and a quick prayer: “please, please, please, be on my side today!”
We tend to believe that luck is a wild card. “Lady Luck,” the Contemporary Western sister of the Roman goddess of luck, Fortuna, awards fortune and misfortune on a whimsical gamble. Nobody, including herself, knows which lot they will be given.
This is the backstory popular culture has fed us for generations. We have been told that big successes are for the few, the world is unfair, and we all have to accept and live with our lot in life. In the meantime, we are all hustling along, trying to find the next Superhack to make our lives a little bit easier. We have so many big dreams, and so little time!
I have now learned that all of this is false advertising. We’ve been fed a lie, and I am breaking the silence.
Hack: Dream Life 