The Stop the World meme has been around for a long time. In the Fifties it was called “the rat race”. Each iteration of the Peter Principle, in which a societal responsibility is always running behind reality, seems to make standing still and meditating hopelessly frustrating. We must be in a hurry, or be left behind. Of course, it really isn’t a matter of stopping the world. It is a matter or controlling our reactions to the actions of others. Does everyone else seem to be moving faster? Let them. Do you measure your life progress in the lens of your neighbor? Just stop. When you look in a mirror, look at your reflection. Don’t imagine the presence of all the others who seem more successful than you are. Social media feeds this desire to compete. Nobody puts their warts and faults and failures on display. Envy of another’s life requires two to play. Refuse the game. Make your own. Now, go be yourself, and be happy with yourself. You don’t really need the world to stop. You need to look at it with a new perspective. Lecture over.
