"The culture we have does not make people feel good about themselves. And you have to be strong enough to say if the culture doesn't work, don't buy it."
In chapter 7 "Taking Attendance" of the book "Tuesdays with Morrie" by Mitch Albom, Morrie had developed his own culture:
- Discussion groups
- Walks with friends
- Dancing to his music in the Harvard Square Church
- Started a project called Greenhouse where poor people could receive mental health services
- read books to find new ideas for his classes
- Visited with colleagues
- Kept up with old students
- Wrote letters to distant friends
- Took more time eating and looking at nature & wasted no time in front of TV sitcoms or "Movies of the Week"
Morrie's culture was full of human activities - conversation, interaction, affection - and it filled his life like an overflowing soup bowl.
On the other hand, many of us have developed our own culture - pretty much similar to the author Mitch Albom's culture - a culture of taking labor (work) as our companion and moving everything else to the side.
Most of our culture is filled with:
- Work. Work. Work.
- Spend min 8 hours a day on a computer
- Business trips & functions
- Eat meals at little wooden work cubicle and thought nothing of it
Morrie has pointed out correctly that....
So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.What is your culture in life?
Work, Work, Work or Conversation. Interaction. Affection?
