Aversion vs Diversion

“When from our better selves we have too long been parted by the hurrying world, and droop. Sick of its business, of its pleasures tired, how gracious, how benign, is Solitude.”
William Wordsworth

Over eons passed, human civilisation has been built on one true belief as quote by the most famous theory posted by Charles Darwin: The Survival of the Fittest. Not to discredit the theory or in anyway downplay the importance of the Theory of Evolution, but, in more ways than one aligning with the goals of the theory, human kind has a huge gap being created due to our inability to evolve in a sustainable manner. In the need to stay ahead of our competition, the various thoughts entering our mind focus on being better than another person. In this quest, we often forget about ourselves, and sometimes also our immediate surroundings. With every passing moment, we keep ourselves attached to the goal of becoming quicker, and more efficient.

Since the middle ages were crossed, machines have become an intricate part of our lives slowly, and have now even convinced with the theory of assisting us in the most mundane tasks. For example, in my generation that lived in India, we never got to experience affordable cellular networks until the later part of the new millennium. Today, the kid that is born nearly has a smartphone to stay in touch as soon as they are able to walk on their own. Technology has grown, and along with it, our dependence on technology has also grown exponentially.

Let us get down to doing one of our usual exercises that we are so used to do on this channel. Seated in a calm, silent environment with eyes closed, imagine the below situation as vividly as possible and take time to imbibe the environment. Also think about the various ways you would react if you were living in the 1990s, early 2000s, and finally today.

Assume you are on a road trip in your personal motor vehicle with your closest friends. During one of the legs of the road trip, you come across a brilliant landscape with the backdrop of the sea, a piece of clean, empty beach, the sun slightly positioned above the horizon ready to go down in probably 30 minutes. You are 2 hours(distance can vary depending on the era of thought 😎) away from the final intended destination. The facility that will host you is expecting you already.

……………………………

Now, before we go any further, note down to the questions that you must address from your visualisation. And start a stopwatch when you start envisioning the above situation for each scenario (1990s, early 2000s, and present day).

What was your first feeling or thought of being on this road trip?
Who were the people that came to mind to that accompanied you on this road trip?
How old are you on this road trip? 😉
What was the season you were making this road trip?
What was happening inside the vehicle?
Who notices the scenery first?
When do you notice this scenery? Was it before, near, or after passing the scenery?
What was the first thing you thought of when you get notified of this scenery? (Could be you notifying yourself 😎)
What was your decision regarding stopping over vs continuing on the journey?
What were the constraints or factors that made you make that particular decision?
Stop the stopwatch when you reach the decision of stopping vs continuing.

How long did it take for you to envision the scenario and come to a decision? A few minutes?

Depending on how vividly you immersed yourself in this scenario, and how much you absorbed the environment, it could have taken from a miserly 30 seconds to a few minutes. The beauty of this exercise is to trigger the photogenic memory (some of us might have been on a similar scenario in our lives, and there is a big possibility to trigger the positive hormones in your system. Also, you might notice that there is a chance for the decision to be different depending on the era you are in. Back in the 90s, there was more tech, lower vehicle speeds, lesser distractions on the roads, more time in hand, and probably a host to receive you personally (most probably a family house or a guest house that is expecting you). And, due to these reasons you might have decided to stop very leisurely or ride on. Moving focus to current day, with all the available technology, distractions, there is a chance that you do not immediately notice this scenery coming up until nearly passing the scene. Also, you would do some research about the place before deciding to go near the shore. If you decided to stop over for a while and spend time, there is a big chance you or your friends try to reach the facility over the mobile (either by SMS or WhatsApp or a message via the booking portal) to inform them of your delayed arrival.

In case you fall in the lower range of time spent(especially if you did not cross a minute), kindly consider repeating the exercise on another day when you feel more relaxed.

Further on, try to also imagine how you would spend time at this spot with your friends. From just admiring the beauty of the sunset, and chatting with your friends, and dipping your feet in water back in the 90s, you might be more intent on making pictures with your smartphones, posting on social media, or even checking social media/WhatsApp messages during this escapade.

Technology has made us all stop admiring and appreciating the best technology that has ever been manufactured and displayed – Mother Nature. Spending time away from our everyday chores, and the redundant workplace commitments have become a luxury that we think we cannot afford. However, upon thinking further on the topic, and digressing deeper, there is only one possible outcome if we continue to exposing our physical selves to the same routines, and the mind to the seemingly never-ending pressures of the workplace politics.

Aversion

In the shadow of expectation’s weight,
Passion fades, a wilted flower, a heavy fate.
Anonymous

Over time, subjecting ourselves to the torment of the same thoughts and thinking about the same thing, however passionate we might be will only generate aversion towards the area. And over time, this creates a drift in our performance levels. A reduced level of performance is detrimental to both the organisation as well as the individual’s aspirations.

How can we avoid Aversion?

Diversion

The best way to replenish the braincells and the desire to perform at optimal levels whilst still maintaining the passion, one must create diversions from regular routines, disconnect from official duty every once in a while, devote time to yourself, your friends and your family. Creating diversions might be the best thing you do for yourself, this holiday season. Could be Christmas holidays in some countries, could be the year end break in some, and could be a delayed break during Pongal/Sankranti in India. The time if not designated by the company, can be always allocated, and scheduled by you for yourself. You just need to prioritise, plan, and execute.

You must decide: Diversion or Aversion?

And, on that note,

Stay Healthy, Stay Safe, Stay Motivated, and let us keep the world moving….