There’s a quite famous conspiracy theory stating that time goes faster now than it did a few years ago. It’s a matter of some microseconds but it affects our whole perception of time. The possible reasons and explanations of this phenomenon are numerous, but that’s not what I’m going to talk about today. What I find interesting is that the world, or, to be more precise, people themselves, are constantly rushing somewhere. Instead of living the day, they’re aiming to the future. Sure, that’s not really a new thing, people have always been thinking more about tomorrow than the present moment. But things have changed even more.

Years and centuries ago people didn’t have the life we do now, the possibilities, the amusements. There was so little going on that their brains clung to the things that would happen in the future to keep themselves entertained. If people had a soon visit, a holiday, or a town event, they’d think about it for months because those occasions were rare. If you don’t believe me, you can read any old author who described life of those times. Like Jane Austen. I vividly remember in her writing how the characters would get excited for a ball that’d take place in four or more months and would constantly think and talk about it, and that’s understandable: they didn’t have anything else happening in their lives. So the thought of an upcoming event was their only solace for those long boring days.

Things have definitely changed now. Our each day is packed with information, entertainments and events to the point that sometimes it’s even too much. But instead of slowing down to enjoy everything going on, people are speeding up even more. They’re heading to a party thinking about what they’re going to wear to the next one. They’re just starting the week, already making plans for the next weekend. They check the book’s or film’s ending online instead of watching or reading the story because they’re simply eager to know how things will end. They create short passkeys or face IDs, because apparently they’re too busy to spend an extra second to type the passwords. They watch and listen everything on 2x speed for the same reason.

See? Always rushing somewhere, always running out of time, always feeling behind. That’s how our world is right now. You know what brought this topic to my mind? Seeing Christmas decorations, items and content since the beginning of October (around the time this post was written but successfully forgotten lol), I mean what the hell is that? Though if you think about, October is apparently late already, because some stores start selling festive stuff since summer. And the worst thing is that people consider it totally normal. But isn’t that just absurd? Getting ready for a holiday a few months in advance? I may have understood this if Christmas was a rare occasion that took place like every few years, and people were simply too excited to wait some more. But we celebrate it every single year, so this early hype is totally unnecessary.

You know what’s even funnier? Is that some people get excited for autumn and Halloween since, I don’t know, June or July, some even decorate their places in summer, but when their long-awaited season actually arrives, guess what? That’s right, they start getting excited and preparing for the next one. Especially after Halloween, as if November doesn’t count. And I can understand why that happens. We can’t feel excited about something for months. Sooner or later the thrill declines, so we need a new source of inspiration. If you get prepared for Halloween since July, when it actually comes closer you couldn’t care less about it. That’s why the holidays have lost their appeal, because we waste all of our enthusiasm too soon, and when the time comes, there’s none left.

I remember back in my childhood people would start getting ready for the holidays around the middle of December. I even remember once seeing some ornaments in a store around December 10, and thought “wow, they’re early this year”. If only I’d known back then right? But you know what? Back then when the festive season lasted shorter, I, and I’m sure others as well, enjoyed it so much more than we do now, when it lasts more than a month. And that’s exactly how the joy of everything gets taken away from us. I understand that it’s just a consumerism trap that the capitalist system set, and it’s sad to admit that we’ve all fallen right in it.

I know it’s not the biggest problem in the world, considering everything going on, but it’s just the perfect example of our mindset right now. We don’t live in the present, we live in the illusionary future. We’d rather create and enjoy Halloween somewhere in hot July than in October itself. Same with Christmas, and same with bigger, more important stuff in life. As if we’re those impatient children who can’t wait to open their presents of Christmas so they sneak out at night to have a little peek.

And what’s even worse is that those people who choose to stay present, feel guilty in a way, feel left behind. I can bring my own example here. Seeing how everyone posts festive content in November, when I’m still sharing my autumn photos sometimes makes me feel kinda outdated, as if everyone’s moved on and I’m stuck in the past. While in reality it’s me who’s on the right calendar date. But that’s what this life makes you do: constantly feel like you’re underperforming, falling behind, not going fast enough. You get an internship or a junior level job, but as someone else is getting promoted—you feel behind. You just start a relationship, while someone else is getting married—you feel behind. You buy your first house, while someone else is buying their third property, and guess what? You feel behind. Even if that someone isn’t someone you actually know but a random person you see online or just a collective image. Life has turned into one long race that never ends. And no matter how fast you run, you never stay ahead of the curve.

And that, my friends, truly sucks. That’s another reason why people don’t actually get to enjoy what they have right now, because their concentration is already far away. Though, I must also mention that I’ve seen a positive change as well. The trend of a slow lifestyle is getting bigger and more popular, with people trying to slow down, enjoy the ordinary moments, of doing things without rushing. And that’s great. Even if some do it simply to join the trend on internet, I still think it’s a positive impact that can spread like a ripple effect. Which means there’s a chance for us to change for the better. Because remember, when you keep running forward, there’s only one future that’s waiting for all of us. So why are you so eager to reach that final point?