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Chaplin's Modern Times made a statement when it was released in 1936: industrialization tends to de-humanize the poor individual who is struggling to make a living. The movie is a classic and one would have thought that with the advent of a technology based society, the struggle to make a living should have been history.
Well, not quite so, it seems. Yes, globalization has spread economic well-being to a larger number of people across the world, but the sense of ennui has also grown. A look at the suicide rate in India is illuminating. While there are many ways of interpreting statistical data, official sources indicate that India has about 17% of the world's suicide cases (with about 17.5% of the world's population), in absolute terms that's 135,000 people (figures are for 2011-12). More alarming to note is that the rate of suicides has gone up from 7.9% to 10.3% per 100,000 persons (for the period 1987 to 2007). Whatever happened to happiness in our society?
Is Gross National Happiness (GNH) more important than Gross National Product (GNP), as famously stated by the former King of Bhutan? One can argue that GNH requires a healthy GNP! However, the mindless quest for economic development at the cost of social sustainability has created economic & social imbalances that are now viewed as expensive mistakes.
While this criticism has not deterred central planners in developing economies as they pursue big dreams of 'catching up' with the West, there are many individuals who are making alternate life choices. Not for them the road trodden by the multitude: study long hours in college, compete to get a job in a major organization, join the corporate rat-race to scale the pyramid, while working soullessly to gather more sinecures offered by the job & then waking up one day to the realization that one has become a prisoner of perquisites! This realization is often considered to be the onset of mid-life crisis when many middle managers decide to 'opt-out' and reflect on life choices, while seeking 'work-life balance'.
Is this an urban phenomenon of the rich and the bored? And, is 'opting-out' the choice of the 'loser'? That's a harsh judgement. While there are multiple views of what alternative lifestyles can connote (it could range from becoming a vegan to a nomadic life of global travel!) perhaps a good way of describing it would be to call it 'not becoming a slave of comparative (and competitive) materialism'. This is quite a challenge in the world of social media where you are bombarded with either inane trivialities or profound messages gleaned from pop psychology. And your 'friends' on Facebook keep telling you about the good times in their lives!
However, the very fact that we live in times of plenty also means that for the courageous there are various possibilities to choose from and create a model for themselves. Arguably, it is material abundance in society that not just facilitates the decision to cherry-pick life-styles but also encourages the liberal view to appreciate them.
Be it the preference for organic food or life in the hills, moving away from the mainstream is becoming an attractive choice to the urban elite. The pastoral life is often romanticized and only the committed can actually endure it for long. The rest flirt with it and then wake up to the fact that they are missing too much by being away from the metropolitan comforts. Soon enough they yield to the gravitational forces of the urban world. This too is a choice that they may well exercise and needs to be respected as no longer is there one norm for all times.
Perhaps a generation ago, the concept of seeking 'work-life balance' was alien to India. There is an apocryphal tale of the boss who sternly rebuked his subordinate to choose between 'work' and 'life' when told about HR's new policy. But that was then - valuing differences is culturally more acceptable in today's times. Therefore, it is fine to change one's mind about lifestyle decisions. With growing awareness that one does not have to become a captive of circumstances, today's urban yuppies and the middle-aged professionals (many of whom belong to the 'double income, no-kids' segment) are seriously exploring alternative life models. The learning from various explorations & experimenting with sustainable choices is now more welcome than before. So, let the quest for happiness, contentment, balance, etc., continue to take shape to suit your individual paradigm of life!
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