This article was written in November, 2005.

As society continues to move "forward" and becomes more dependent on technology, something is lost. The pressure to "accomplish" more and more has its consequences, from neglected children to an army of depressed people. No, you don't need your cell phone everywhere you go, you are not that important, nobody is. The world can go on without being able to reach you. The question is, can you go on for a day without being able to reach others?

What happened to the days when the focus of people's lives was to "live" rather than acquire more wealth? Is society as a whole happier now that we have the pressure to get a better job, buy a bigger house and keep moving "forward" ?

Of course I'm not going to say yes or no, why not? Because we don't really know how happy or sad we are. We don't spend enough time with ourselves to know the answer. Instead we try to keep ourselves busy at all times so that we don't have to deal with our feelings. That's why the entertainment industry is as big as it is, because we don't want to sit around thinking about our lives, relationships and in essence if we are living a meaningful life or not. When we are not busy working, we have to keep ourselves busy with something else, we do everything to bury the thoughts and feelings we have; most people who don't do so end up in a deep depression. Of course, there are those who have been able to achieve that truth we all should be seeking (I’m not claiming I have). But it's not easy, because nobody can tell us what OUR path is.

So here we are, living the rat race, and as I write I can only wonder, why is it called the rat race? My take on it is that rats are known to eat each other, when a rat dies the others feed on it. I see that as the perfect analogy for what society is moving towards. Instead of giving a detailed explanation of the comparison, I'll just leave it at that. Reflect on it if you want, or don't.