On Demand, In Demand and Out of Hand
Hmmm, is it time to takea literal leap of faith to reclaim the quality of life we value?
If you follow my postsregularly, you know that relentless change and the accelerating pace of life isa 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 generationsof technology is constantly shrinking. We barely get up to speed on the newestiteration when the next one arrives. I strongly suspect that the developershave the next two generations already on the drawing board when the latestversion is released.
Other factors are nowentering into the equation and further accelerating the pace of life. High onthe 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 otherrestrictions.
Companies aredesperately trying to make up for last time and lost revenue. With an economicrecession on the horizon, they are shifting into overdrive to maximize returnsbefore the window of opportunity closes again. Staff are often running flat outto keep up with what is required of them – the more so as labour shortagesleave some positions unfilled.
The same thing ishappening on the personal level as people, starved for two years forentertainment and genuine enjoyment, are trying to grab all they can surrenderingto 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 therequirements of potential employers, you are very much in demand and can choose where you want to work. But being indemand can be a mixed blessing. You are only as good as your last week’sproductivity and have no room for error if you fall off the pace.
When we enter all thesefactors into the life equation – technology wheels spinning ever faster,sprinting to get caught up, racing to keep up, competing with others to holdonto your privileged position as the indemand person – things can begin to unravel.
The old metaphor of thetreadmill does not cut it anymore. The path we are now on is equivalent tothose moving walkways that some airports feature. But the walkway is moving inthe opposite direction we need to go. We have to run twice as fast as thewalkway is moving in order to move ahead. The walkway speeds up each day so wetoo have to keep speeding up.
Life was not meant to bea daily sprint to the wire that renews itself every morning. We are not createdto be always in go-mode. The rigours of being in demand in the on demand worldis 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.
~ NowAvailable Online from Amazon, Chapters Indigo or Barnes & Noble: HuntingMuskie, Rites of Passage – Stories by Michael Robert Dyet
~ Michael Robert Dyet is alsothe author of Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel whichwas a double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’swebsite at www.mdyetmetaphor.com .
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