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On Demand, In Demand and Out of Hand

August 20th, 2022 by Michael Dyet

Hmmm, is it time to take a literal leap of faith to reclaim the quality of life we value?

If you follow my posts regularly, you know that relentless change and the accelerating pace of life is a theme I return to regularly. Hang on tight: I am headed down that road again.

Technology is a primary (although not exclusive) driver in this struggle. The cycle of new generations of technology is constantly shrinking. We barely get up to speed on the newest iteration when the next one arrives. I strongly suspect that the developers have the next two generations already on the drawing board when the latest version is released.

Other factors are now entering into the equation and further accelerating the pace of life. High on the list these days is the pandemic we are just emerging from – or more specifically, the way life was forcibly paused for two years by lockdowns and other restrictions.

Companies are desperately trying to make up for last time and lost revenue. With an economic recession on the horizon, they are shifting into overdrive to maximize returns before the window of opportunity closes again. Staff are often running flat out to keep up with what is required of them – the more so as labour shortages leave some positions unfilled.

The same thing is happening on the personal level as people, starved for two years for entertainment and genuine enjoyment, are trying to grab all they can surrendering to the “who knows what tomorrow may bring” school of thought.

Being an observer and student of these trends, I perceive that they are pushing us every deeper into the on demand world. We have been headed in that direction for some time as the corporate world transitions to a just-in-time delivery model – skipping the warehouse shelves and instead going direct from the assembly line to the consumer.

The on demand movement in turn is feeding an in demand state of affairs. If you have the skills that match the requirements of potential employers, you are very much in demand and can choose where you want to work. But being in demand can be a mixed blessing. You are only as good as your last week’s productivity and have no room for error if you fall off the pace.

When we enter all these factors into the life equation – technology wheels spinning ever faster, sprinting to get caught up, racing to keep up, competing with others to hold onto your privileged position as the in demand person – things can begin to unravel.

The old metaphor of the treadmill does not cut it anymore. The path we are now on is equivalent to those moving walkways that some airports feature. But the walkway is moving in the opposite direction we need to go. We have to run twice as fast as the walkway is moving in order to move ahead. The walkway speeds up each day so we too have to keep speeding up.

Life was not meant to be a daily sprint to the wire that renews itself every morning. We are not created to be always in go-mode. The rigours of being in demand in the on demand world is getting out of hand.

If the walkway will not stop speeding up, we may have to take a literal leap of faith to jump off and reclaim the life we value.

~ Now Available Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: Hunting Muskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet

~ Michael Robert Dyet is also the author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel which was a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .

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