People Who Lost the Ability to Pause
In a small village, there lived people who had lost their shadows. Strangely, these villagers headed to work when the sun rose and returned home exhausted to sleep when it set. For them, having a shadow was a luxury—they had no time to pause and reflect on themselves. The belief that they must constantly do something to survive was the only law governing this village.
Our story isn’t much different from that village. We’ve been running breathlessly, shouting “Faster, higher, more!” Yet, when we look back, isn’t there an unfilled emptiness and a deep question about “what are we striving for” in a corner of our hearts? Perhaps we are living without time to care for the most important thing: ourselves.
Chapter 1: The Trap Named ‘Hard Work’
Who Said Labor Is Sacred?
“Those who do not work shall not eat!”
This phrase has been drilled into our ears since childhood. Diligence and sincerity are considered the highest virtues in our society, and even a moment of laziness was treated as a disaster, with everyone pushing each other relentlessly. But let’s think for a moment: were humans truly born just to work?
Long ago, ancient sages regarded labor as painful. They did not see it as honorable for free spirits to exhaust their bodies for livelihood. To them, true value lay in ’leisure’—in contemplation, enjoying art, and sharing stories together.
But at some point, the world completely changed. Competition to produce and own more began, and ‘work’ transformed into the most sacred act. Becoming a part of a machine that works nonstop came to be seen as a symbol of success. Clergy preached the sanctity of labor, economists promised more labor would bring greater wealth, and moralists condemned laziness as the root of all evil.
Too Much Is Worse Than Too Little: The Tragedy of Overproduction
Like the ad slogan “You worked hard, now take a break!”, we believe happiness will come if we work hard enough. But what is reality?
As everyone worked like crazy, the world began to overflow with goods. Warehouses piled up with unsold products gathering dust. People’s wallets stayed the same, but goods kept flooding out—an inevitable result. Eventually, factories unable to handle the surplus closed, and those who worked overnight lost their jobs overnight and were pushed onto the streets.
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It’s strange. Working too hard and producing too much ended up causing suffering for everyone. It was as foolish as drinking seawater because you were thirsty. The blind race for “more” became a boomerang threatening us all.
Chapter 2: The Wisdom Named ‘Laziness’
What If We Worked Only Three Hours a Day?
What if a world came where we only had to work three hours a day? You might wave it off, saying, “Where is such a world?” But this is not a pipe dream.
Our world has advanced remarkably. Machines now work faster and more accurately than dozens or hundreds of human arms combined. In theory, we should be able to entrust hard work to these smart machines and enjoy much more leisure time ourselves.
But reality is the opposite. As technology advances, our working hours don’t decrease; they increase in more subtle ways. We check work emails after leaving the office and worry about unfinished tasks on weekends. Machines have become not servants helping humans but terrifying masters overworking us.
Seeking True Wealth
What we need to reclaim is the ‘right to be lazy.’ This laziness is not about doing nothing and wasting time helplessly. It means escaping the shackles of labor and spending time fully for ourselves in ‘creative leisure.’
Think about it. What can we do with the time we gain?
- Time to meet the forgotten self: We can read books we postponed due to lack of time, listen to our favorite music freely, paint on a blank canvas, or discover a new self by learning an instrument clumsily.
- Time with loved ones: We can have dinner with family, share trivial stories with friends, and laugh together. Relationships neglected due to work will heal, enriching our lives.
- The freedom to do nothing: Sometimes, we can simply stare blankly at the sky or stroll through a park without any thoughts. Such moments of ‘pause’ are the best tonic to refresh tired bodies and minds.
Reclaim Your Shadow
A sage appeared in the village that had lost its shadows and said:
“Everyone, stop what you’re doing for a moment and look at the sky. Then walk slowly. Your shadow, just like you, will quietly follow beneath your feet.”
The villagers hesitated but stopped working. Miraculously, their lost shadows slowly appeared. The shadows were not of people sweating while working but of themselves smiling leisurely.
What we need is this very courage to pause. To step away from the clogged gears of a diligent society and regain our own pace. This will be the first step to reclaiming lost happiness and the meaning of life.
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Today, what does your shadow look like?