Kitna Bhi Try Kar Lo Bunny, Hamesha Yahi Lagega Ki Kaafi Nhi hai: Here is how capitalism has now become our lifestyle?
Highlights
- What is capitalism?
- Happiness is Myth
- How Young adults are falling prey to this culture and have now made it a part of their lifestyle
Do you constantly feel that you are not doing enough? Do you feel guilty for taking breaks & rest? Well, if you are nodding your head while reading this – Welcome to Capitalism! In case, if you are thinking that it is just confined to the Economy and Politics, then my friend you need to take a close check on your lifestyle. Where our self-worth is directly Proportional to our productivity. Instead of making plans with our friends and family, we make our checklist for the next week every Sunday morning. How capitalism has become our lifestyle?
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For the unversed, Capitalism is an economic system in which businesses are owned and run for profits by the individuals, not by the state. Basically, a model that works on profit-making. Honestly, it is now not just limited to Politics and Economy, it has now become our day to day life. The idea of not taking rest has been deeply implanted in our minds. We consider ourselves weak if we have not achieved our dreams. We are taught to be continuously on our feet to be productive. To simply put, taking off or taking rest is considered a “Paap”.
The Idea of being Happy
Capitalism lifestyle preaches the idea of climbing the ladder. Instead of finding happiness in small things, our happiness is directly tied to productivity and the money we make. Society in Capitalism makes us believe that we are worth nothing more than our products and we keep proving our worth to others. But the question is – are the people at the top happy? The answer is No- A survey by Boston College found that even super-rich people also have been attacked by depression and anxiety because this system breeds greediness and makes us our own enemies. The continuous need of doing millions of things to stand out takes a toll on our mental health as well.
Read More- Capitalism Normalizes Overworking: Overworking is not something you should celebrate
How Young Adults are falling prey to it?
For many young adults, the definition of Happiness is now equal to materialistic success. A lot of them are always thinking that they are not doing enough and that leads to anxiety. Capitalism also introduces us to Hustle Culture where the most important thing in your life is- Your work. It makes us believe – The more you do, the more valuable you are. In the quest to do more and more in life, people often feel alienated, isolated and lonely. Capitalism fosters traits like selfishness and makes people more acquisitive.
It provides us with an idea of success that rendered us lonely and stressed creatures filled with self-doubts. Many people feel isolated from their friends, family, relationship and even from their work. In fact, many studies have found that isolation is the leading cause of mental illness such as anxiety and depression.
Moreover, capitalism has not provided us with the luxury of hobby. The modern trap of turning hobbies into hustles has planted a quick –sprouting seed in our fragile mind that we must be continuously pushing ourselves to do more and achieve more. We have been conditioned in such a way that we try to monetize every aspect of life. It’s so disturbing that we just don’t do anything for simple pleasures anymore.
But we often forget that – when we constantly try to monetize it in hopes of being happy while working, that idea turns out to be farce as the hobby/work is bound to become toxic after one point if we constantly equate it with money, which too takes a toll on our mental health.
How can you break the cycle?
We are human beings, not a human doing. Learning and exploring new things is fine but not allowing ourselves to take a break is toxic. We might not understand it today but health experts believe it can impact our overall well being. In that case, it is important to break the toxic pattern.
- It is important to understand that one needs to work hard and rest hard as well.
- Take a break from social media – Go on social media detox –Else no matter what you do, you will always feel less.
- Prioritize your sleep and trust us – You are not missing out on anything major
- Acknowledge what is important for you and get straight that burning out isn’t cool!
- Reward yourself right away and do not wait – Else the time would never come!
Sociologist Zygmunt Bauman has rightly remarked,” Never have we been so free. Never have we felt so powerless.”
To simply put, it’s now time to redefine happiness. We need to understand that our self-worth is not equal to the number of hours we work. It lies in our health, friends, family and quality work.
