TED ÇORUM COLLEGE / 10-A
The
COMMITTED
Today’ s Productive Lifestyle
Eren Oğuz YEŞİL ‣
Delving into the history of societies, we cannot ignore the truth of everlasting transformation of culture and institutions. Nowadays, we cling to many pursuits in our daily lives that we have long considered as highly desirable, often without considering their changing historical context. One of these pursuits is the productive lifestyle.
Productivity was initially a concept related to the scope of agricultural activities, motivated by the desire to feed one’ s family; it was roughly equivalent to the efficiency of crop production. When the factory system gained prominence with the Industrial Revolution, however, productivity became a source of daily hardship: it thrived between the worker’ s ten hours and the strict, hierarchical work schedule. It was inevitable that strikes across Europe would emerge in response to the workers’ poor working conditions. Here, we cannot know with certainty whether those workers trusted themselves to bring about a structural change, but it is certain that their painful and vital condition would eventually lead to their collective victory.
Today, do we not come across our obsession with living a productive lifestyle? Keeping to-do lists, planning every task hour by hour, or regretting that we have not made timely decisions, we dwell on a daily spiral of achieving the highest level of productivity. Whether you are a student or an employee, how come a concept of economics has left traces beyond the workplace? While productive tasks undeniably bring happiness and provide comfort to some, we shall not shy away from confronting whether this supposedly ideal lifestyle actually serves our happiness. Most importantly, we do not have to be successful, and it is alright not to be. We are not alone in our struggles, and the power to change essentially lies in our unity.