The goal of the economy is to make people work. It is to engage people in productive tasks that add value to the society and be rewarded with payment. The wider goal of the society is also to keep people constantly busy and occupied so that they don’t have the time to think about the larger meaning of life. This is mostly a good choice since all that wild thinking can often divert an unguided mind into unnecessary rebellious activities. Capitalism succeeds in overcoming this problem by engineering a system of competition with monetary needs, and this ensures that all of us are actively working towards a singular goal – MONEY.
However, the creative mind works differently. We are not motivated by money. We are often indifferent to material goods. The pursuit to create, inspire, and further our skill surpasses the need to actively earn. But reality is different. We live in a world where bills need to be paid, family needs to be supported, and every act of existence costs money. Unless we have the privilege of generational wealth, we have to come to terms with the fact that the rest of the world works on a different spectrum, and we must accede to it – whether we like it or not.
I used to grow up thinking anything is possible, full of optimism, and a fire for life. But growing older, I’ve realized that while yes, anything is possible – it either requires access to generational wealth, connections with the powerful, or a willingness to sacrifice.
I truly believe that it is cruel to make my mind work on daily drivel and admin tasks. A creative mind filled with ideas, energy, and inspiration is forced to settle for mediocre tasks that slowly erode the enthusiasm. Life is a daily battle with capitalism, with its imposition to earn my bread and shift my focus on ways to sustain a livelihood, rather than ways to tell stories. This becomes doubly difficult in India where, as a small business owner, an inordinate amount of time is spent in dealing with mundane compliance, chasing up for payments, doing endless paperwork, ensuring employee satisfaction, keeping clients happy, and a whole array of tasks that come and go which require constant problem solving. And after all of this, one has to find the energy for oneself, for loved ones, and the actual creative work that we aim to do. While also keeping an eye of health, both physical and mental. The number of decisions that need to be made, the constant choice between what we want and what society wants, while juggling admin tasks and creative tasks – its a never ending fight.
Currently listening to – La Forêt by Lescop
Currently watching – Ramayana : The Legend of Prince Ram
Currently reading – Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
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