Last update: 17 November 2018
We are part of a world where humanistic values have taken a back seat. Much of our existence revolves around the concepts of power and money. It is a logic that encounters many resistances, but which in a certain way imposes those i main values of life.
We often accept the logic of the current world as if it were the only possible one, but it is not so. Even though the life values we attach to are related to manufacturing and trade, we can also demonstrate a critical attitude and prevent them from affecting us at all.
If we follow them uncritically and absolutely, these values end up limiting our existence, making us anxious and dissatisfied.. For this reason it is important to recognize them and prevent them from invading every aspect of our reality. Here are the main values on which our life is based, but which make us unhappy.
Values of life that make you unhappy
1. Efficiency
One of the main requirements nowadays is to be efficient. We constantly receive messages related to the importance of achieving success and the need to focus on specific goals, which is certainly not a bad thing, but the problem arises when this value takes on a priority role and everything starts to revolve around it.
Efficiency is one of the main values of our life because it facilitates the proper development of the economy. Companies want efficient employees for a higher income. Furthermore, efficiency guarantees a better career and a privileged place within the system.
However, this does not mean that efficiency is the most important thing for humans. We are not machines, therefore, depending on the circumstances, we are more or less efficient, but this does not make us less valid.
2. Productivity
Productivity is about the concrete results we are able to achieve. A productive person is able to do a lot in a short time, as well as get more money and benefits. A productive person is “useful”, but this “usefulness” almost always refers to the economic sphere.
We speak of "productive people" or "productive periods". It is not said, however, that we are also something else. We are not machines to make money or to increase other people's money. If we focus only on productivity, in the end we will only care about the economic and labor dimensions. And this road does not lead to happiness.
3. Quantity
Today's society is particularly obsessed with quantity. Everything is measured and the word "more" has become a kind of mantra. We are not talking about dreams or ideals, but about the possibility of accumulating and producing more and more. A day is positive when we can do many things. A year is good when we reach many goals. A life is valid when it has many successes.
Why is the quantity so relevant? In general, it has value above all in the world of economics and production. From a more human perspective, quantity collides with quality. We do a lot, we achieve a lot, we accumulate a lot at the cost of sacrificing the profound meaning of what we do, obtain or accumulate.
4. Speed
In every area, speed has become a goal. Making it happen fast is almost a sign of efficiency. The basic idea is to do many things in a very short time. Because of this even a five-minute break or taking longer than expected to complete a job is a source of frustration for some people.
Speed is another of the main values of modern life, but it does not lead to well-being. The speech made for quantity also applies to speed: they are often the enemies of quality. Obviously we refer to the important aspects. Those who are obsessed with speed lose the ability to savor the uniqueness of each moment. It also struggles to understand the meaning of the processes in which the time taken to complete them has an added value.
Even if all these values at the base of our life are important because they allow us to adapt to today's world and society, we must make sure to re-evaluate their meaning and not accept them passively simply because culture dictates it.
