The
vision of life as a sequence of work interrupted by
holiday trips was born a century ago, but our mental patterns are more
than 5.000 years old. The practice of going away at regular intervals
and leaving everything behind would have seemed incomprehensible to most
19th century entrepreneurs, composers, or inventors. They would have
looked at us with surprise and inquired about the purpose of all that
travelling.
How focus contributes to enhancing productivity and happiness
The German philosopher Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) is
known to have spent his entire life in Konigsberg, a city that nowadays
belongs to Russia. Apparently, he never wandered more than a few
kilometres away from Konigsberg, where he worked for decades as a
university professor. If he had wished to travel, he possessed the means
to do so.
Kant never crossed the ocean to see America and never
visited Russia, even though St. Petersburg is not far away from
Konigsberg. He never went to London, never set foot in Paris, and never
spent a summer in Rome. For all we know, he did not even go
to Berlin for a weekend. If this sounds boring to you, wait until you
read the whole story.
Due to financial difficulties in his youth,
Kant was forced to interrupt his studies for a couple of years. He
eventually managed to obtain an advanced degree and, when he was 31
years old, he landed a teaching job at the University of Konigsberg,
where he would continue to lecture until his retirement decades later.
The great advantages of sound daily routines
For
most of his life, Kant did pretty much the same every day, irrespective
of the season. He would have breakfast, walk to the University, teach
his classes, have lunch, do some research, write a few pages of his next
book, return home, and have dinner.
When his friends urged him
to have a more active social life, Kant politely replied that he had no
time. There was always some exciting subject that he was researching or
some important book that he was planning. His writing kept him busy,
leaving little room for travel and other
activities.
After a quarter of a century at his job, he
produced his most important book, the Critique of Pure Reason (1781).
When the volume was published, Kant was already 57 years old and fully
conscious of the importance of what he had accomplished. History would
prove him right. His work has exerted foremost influence on philosophers
during the last two centuries.
The insights contained in Kant's
book prepared the ground for scientific discoveries and industrial
development. His ethical theories, which underline the role of reason,
stressed the importance of individual responsibility.
The importance of making a clear-cut decision
Would Kant
have written such exceptional book if he had spent several weeks per
year travelling for pleasure? Would he have produced such extraordinary
achievement if he had interrupted his work at regular intervals? No, obviously not.
Do
not assume that you are obliged to follow the trend. If there is a
lesson to be learned from Kant's life, is that you can attain great
success without going anywhere. Travelling for pleasure can be great
fun, but if there are better things that you could do with your time, do
not let anybody decide for you.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by jonrawlingson under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us
Travelling for pleasure is a modern phenomenon. Before the twentieth
century, few people undertook long journeys if it was not for investment
or trade. Moving from one country to another was uncomfortable and
expensive. Before vaccination became an everyday procedure, malaria and
yellow fever presented major health risks for those travelling to
tropical areas.
Before you imitate other people, read this
In our days, public taste has shifted to the
opposite extreme. From teenagers to pensioners, millions of individuals
devote their holidays to visiting distant cities. Airlines offer
affordable tickets to cross the ocean, inviting consumers to spend their
next vacation exploring exotic cultures. Who can resist their enticing
advertisements?
The fact that large numbers of people travel for
pleasure provides evidence of its popularity, not of its benefits. Many
individuals count smoking, overeating, and excessive drinking amongst
their favourite occupations. The enjoyment derived from those activities
does not automatically qualify them as advantageous. Judgement should
be passed on the basis of rational assessment, not of popularity.
The trap of looking for novelty without purpose
While
dogs and cats appear perfectly contented to move around without
purpose, human beings tend to become restless. Travelling dissolves our
routines and forces us to start from scratch. Encountering novelty can
be pleasurable, but too much of it leads to exhaustion.
Spending
your vacation in an unusual location guarantees that you will meet new
people and taste exotic food. For the duration of the break, you will
forget your routines and feel exempted from preoccupations. The idea is
that, since you have worked hard for months, now it is your turn to
enjoy a holiday.
Are you using your time as well as you can?
On the other hand, if you are one of those who
loves his work and is inclined to introspection, you might experience
some doubts: Should you really be there? Don't you have better things to
do? What is the point of all these vacation trips? Are you not wasting
your time?
While exotic vacations are fine for some people, other individuals find them disruptive. Depending on your personal
philosophy and the type of activities you like, extended travelling might or might not be the right thing for you.
For more information about rational living and personal development, I refer you to my book The 10 Principles of Rational Living
Text: http://johnvespasian.blogspot.com
Image by twoblueday under Creative Commons Attribution License. See the license terms under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/us
- How to stay rational in a chaotic world
- Maintaining your psychological strength despite problems and obstacles
- Getting rid of stress, anxiety, and depression
- Techniques to stop worrying when you have a thousand problems
- How to preserve your self-confidence in hostile environments
- Overcoming barriers to personal growth, internal and external
- How to deal with difficult people in your business and personal life
- Stress management under difficult circumstances
- How to build your self-esteem in times of adversity
- Overcoming anxiety and excessive concern
- The low-cost approach to personal development
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