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Mental Antidote to ‘Rat Race Syndrome' -- Aphorisms We all suffer from "rat race syndrome." It's just a question of how bad we've got it. Because the rat race long ago overloaded our senses, the core symptom of rat race syndrome, or RRS, is impulsiveness — impulsive thinking, impulsive actions. As we careen and spasm through our daily lives, our thoughts and emotions trample one another like bug-eyed shoppers unleashed in one big "Everything Must Go!" This is just the way we're supposed to be, too. Good little bobble-headed consumers, waiting for the next prod, poke or push from an ad — those carnies of capitalism. Ads swarm through our days and nights like bees on PCP. We run, but we can't hide. APHORISMS PUT THE BRAKES ON RAT RACE Since RRS makes us so impulsive, we need something to slow us down and restore our capacity to reflect. We need mental brakes. And since we're all modern here, which means we have no time or money, the brakes have to be handy, easy to use and free. The Lord knew long ago we were headed this way, so he gave us aphorisms — the oldest form of literature. (The "a" is short, as in rat.) An aphorism is a brief, pithy phrase or two with a philosophic twist. They distill meaning and often wisdom, too, down to a raindrop. They're the dwarf stars of literature. A mote weighs tons. They range all over the map because they stake their territory in everything human and often express the author's individuality, as well. Here are a few examples, taken from "The Faber Book of Aphorisms," edited by W.H. Auden and Louis Kronenberger: — "It is easier to make certain things legal than to make them legitimate." — Nicolas Chamfort — "Credulity is the man's weakness but the child's strength." — Charles Lamb — "Burning stakes do not lighten the darkness." — Stanislaw Lec Good aphorisms take the mind by surprise; that's the function of the "twist," sometimes accomplished by puns. They vivify our language and sharpen our thinking. They can make us better writers, and they make us laugh, too. And did we say they alleviate RRS? (Some you can share with your kids. Challenge them! More thinking, less texting!) A few aphorists — people who write aphorisms — walk among us, ministering to the beleaguered multitudes. Here are some names and links to help you, too, fight back against RRS. — James Geary, at JamesGeary.com. Geary is the ultimate authority on aphorisms, and he offers many examples at his site. He is also The New York Times bestselling author of "The World in a Phrase: A Brief History of the Aphorism." — Yahia Lababidi (http://amzn.to/tsEDYB). See his thought-provoking collection, "Signposts to Elsewhere." — Greg Linster, at http://aphoristiccocktails.com. — James Richardson, at http://bit.ly/vz6HWc. — The World Aphorism Organization, at worldaphorism.org. Christine Durst and Michael Haaren are leaders in the work-at-home movement and advocates of de-rat-raced living. Their latest book is "Work at Home Now," a guide to finding home-based jobs. They offer additional guidance on finding home-based work at www.RatRaceRebellion.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2011 BY STAFFCENTRIX, DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM |
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