The Problem With Efficiency

33 Replies

Have we become too efficient? Too good at getting things done easier? Are we so bent on making things trouble-free that we have we forgotten how things were originally developed? We need a little trouble. We need to be continually striving forward to create and to improve but do we stop when we think we’ve done enough? If there is one person in need, one person who feels slighted then we have not done enough.

I was in the kitchen mixing together a few things and I wondered if there was an easier way to do what I was doing. And then I was horrified! The time that I spend mixing ingredients together is time I can think about things I want to do, ponder a poem or a post. I’m usually so caught up in other things I’m doing that I don’t take the time to stop. To stop and to think. We lead such busy lives, constantly on the go that I wonder if we take enough time to simply be.

We harnessed the power of fire because we were cold. We learned how to fly because we wanted to go places. We learned how to cook because we were hungry. That hunger fuels us to create, to invent and to evolve. Without it we would stagnate. When I was forced to give up working because of my disability, I was concerned that I wouldn’t make it a year. I could not conceive of a life where I was not productive, contributing in some way to the greater good. I had mistakenly thought it was only through work that I could contribute. I was wrong.

Work is one of the larger sections of our lives. We do it for so long. It feeds us, it clothes us and allows us to have a life. But it is not our lives. Some jobs do become all encompassing. That’s usually when the job is actually a vocation. Doctors, nurses, firefighters, police officers (and many others) do not stop being doctors, firefighters etc. simply because they’re not at work. They will always be these people. And we are thankful that they are. We don’t want them to stop being efficient but we also need them to continually search for better ways to do their job. We should all be on that search.

There is always room for improvement. It’s been said often enough. It’s been said, because it’s true. And we should never forget that while we may not be hungry or cold there are those that are. We need to work towards a world where no one is hungry or cold or disenfranchised or forgotten. That is the world I want to live in, I want to strive for.

Just because I am not at an official job, I can still contribute with my words. I can still, hopefully, inspire and if living my life well encourages other people to look inside themselves then I am doing a good job. A simple smile to someone on the street might be all it takes for them to smile at another and then the other person smiles at another one and so begins the domino effect. Let’s hope that smile never dims, never stops

 

 

I have mentioned over the years that I am a redhead. Or rather I was a redhead, I have turned mostly blonde. It’s what a certain shade of red will do. Eventually I will go white. But I thought I would put it all into context with a photograph. This is me… more than a few years ago!

33 thoughts on “The Problem With Efficiency”

  1. Dan Antion

    Even before I got to the part where you said you can contribute with your words, I was going to say that. You entertain, you make me think, and you have inspired me to write a specific post on numerous occasions. In addition, you have found things in some of my photographs that I couldn’t discern. I thought something was interesting enough to share, you found the inner beauty. You also encouraged me when I was struggling to figure out if I should stay active in this community. Encouraging someone is a very valuable gift.

    Thank you, and thanks for sharing the very pretty picture. I hope you have a wonderful week, Pam.

    Liked by 3 people

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  2. Darlene

    Love the picture of you as a redhead. I agree, it is hard to stop and just be. It is hard to stop doing the work you love but you can always find other worthwhile things to do that takes its place. The last year of his life, when my always busy dad was made immobile by a stroke, he asked, “Why am I still here?” My daughter replied, “Because we still need you, Grandpa.”

    Liked by 3 people

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    1. Murphy’s Law

      Darlene, your last sentence brought tears to my eyes. Kudos to your daughter and to you and your husband for bringing up such a loving, kind girl. Grandpa knew he was surrounded by love!
      Ginger

      Liked by 4 people

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  3. Murphy’s Law

    No wonder you’re so beautiful now, you were beautiful “then”. Best of all, you have an inner beauty. And there’s a lot of ‘imp’ shining in your eyes. Thank you for sharing this photo with us.

    You inspire me every day to be a better person. To be kind. To smile. To consider the plight of others and to be thankful for what I have.

    Despite your disability you are a force to be reckoned with! I have often said you are a master wordsmith. Words matter. I hope you never run out of them.

    You are most definitely doing a good job my dear friend! 💕
    Ginger

    Liked by 4 people

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  8. Evelyn Krieger

    The problems with efficiency is that we think we are “saving” time. But the questions remains: what do we do with that time saved? Do we just fill it with more work, more errands, more shoulds? When, if ever, does our saved time turn to shared moments of just being?

    Liked by 2 people

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  11. Mark Lanesbury

    Hey, look at the smile in those eyes. How much trouble did you say you got into? 😂 🤣
    But I bet it encouraged many others dear lady, to go beyond. You found you, and now share that journey. That is your smile rippling outwards…thank you for sharing your smile 😀 ❤️ 🙏🏽 🦋

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. Dale

    A smart and important post, Pam, Miss Redhead, now a shade of strawberry blonde 😉
    A friend of mine was a policeman. One day, while training for a marathon, his foot decided not to follow. Not long after he was diagnosed with MS. He then became a 9-1-1 operator until his retirement just two years ago. Like you, he still has much to contribute to this wonderful world we live in. We just have to adapt as we go along. And yes. We do need to take the time to live in it.

    Liked by 2 people

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    1. quiall Post author

      He was smart enough to adapt instead of giving in. He’s an inspiration to all those around him. You were going to find this odd but I just read about this man in a previous post of mine that someone had liked. I’m getting a bit of a creepy vibe. Why did I read that post? It was written in August 2021 and you talked about his marriage and how he was your best friend in High School.

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. Dale

        Yes, he was/is. And he was given a hard time by fellow workers, to boot. Jealousy is ugly and, as you know, all the conversations are recorded, so he found proof of two of them saying he only got the job because he is in a wheelchair and other nasty stuff. Needless to say, he won his case when they tried to push him out. Ugly people are everywhere.
        And that is wild that you stumbled across that. I still shake my head at his wife’s choice to bugger off and his complete acceptance as he did give her the choice.

        Liked by 1 person

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