"Mayberry" is basically about how easy-going life used to be, and even says in the first verse: "Sunday was a day of rest, now it's just one more day for progress"
This line brings me back to what my very Catholic mother taught me during religious ed; God made the world in 6 days, and rested on the 7th. That's how life works. Sunday is meant for rest and worship. That's the way it has always been.
Not anymore. This song highlights a theme we've touched on many a time in my American Studies class: the fact that Americans are obsessed with working hard all the time.
In fact, I've even noticed how little time I allow for rest and relaxation during my schedule. I go to school for 8 1/2 hours (Yes, early-bird Physics is as fun as it sounds), go to play rehearsal for 2 1/2 hours, do a couple hours of homework, find some time to eat and shower, and then try to get at least 6-7 hours of sleep. And when the week is over, the weekend is just as packed with rehearsals, softball practices, ACT tutors, and a new load of homework I just have no desire to do.
What ever happened to the days where kids actually saw each other on sundays? Or the days where I could spend all day watching sports with my dad, and not have to worry about what was due the next day? The days of lazy sundays have not been so long gone. Ask your parents what high school life was like. My dad, a New Trier alum, was on varsity swimming, took all 4 level classes, and says he didn't have nearly as much homework, appointments or obligations as students do today.
Why has our society developed into an even faster, high-stress environment? How will the lives of our kids look in 20-30 years?
I think you bring up a very interesting point. What should be a day of relaxation Sunday is now “just one more day for progress.” As much as I want to spread out my homework over the weekend so that it does not pile up on Sundays—I can’t. After a jam-packed week, all I want is a break once the weekend arrives.
ReplyDeleteI think America has become such a fast, high-stress environment because we are always thinking about the future. On Thanksgiving I went to go see my grandparents, and they were amazed by how attached the younger generation is with their phone. My Grandma remarked, “I don’t understand, what are they doing on their phones all the time? I go into a store—and everyone is always looking down!” I think the correct phrase is always looking ahead. I think the reason America has no time to relax is because we are always looking ahead. We use our phones incessantly because it is how we navigate upcoming plans, deadlines, and agendas. Which makes me wonder, will the lives of our kids in 20-30 years ever be able to live in the moment?
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ReplyDeleteI agree with Betsy's answer to your question about why the pressure has increased for our generation, but I would like to offer another possible answer: immigrants. Our parents generation was familiar with the idea of having to work their way up because they knew about their parents and grandparents having to work hard. This concept of having to work your way up is foreign to our generation though, because our relatives who had to really work to get somewhere are distant to us. This concept is not foreign to the immigrants our age though. The extra time that we spend on Facebook, they spend studying. I think we have more pressure than our parents did because we have more competition, and more serious competitors too.
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