The Rat Race Favors The Rats (And Then They Die)

In the past month I’ve been dealing with the weirdest feelings of exhaustion and energy bursts that I’ve ever had. The Moderna version of the Covid-19 vaccine had the strangest effect on me. The day I got the first shot, I had to take a nap every 90 minutes or so. My bed is 10 steps from the desk where I work from home and yet I struggled a few times to make it all the way to the bed before being asleep.

I thought it was over after a few days, but it lingered for the entire month until I got the second vaccine shot last week. It had reduced to 1-2 times per day by the end, but I still dealt with an overall feeling of tiredness outside of the first few minutes after I woke up. During this time I had to reduce some of my planned activities and just barely kept up at work while falling way behind on my literature review reading and writing. I was able to jog and workout, but no real progress was made on that front, just maintaining the status quo.

The day after getting the second vaccine shot, I came down with Flu B. That was three days before the majority of Texas, where I live, began dealing with heavy snowfall, historic cold, and the most callous, inept governing I’ve ever seen as an adult in the US. I’m sure you’ve heard or read about the situation that most of the state is in, or even worse you’re dealing with it right now. Thankfully my location in west Texas is not part of the ERCOT system so we’ve had a few minor outages and nobody is freezing to death in their home.

If you’re unfamiliar with just how bad some of this has been, read about Tim Boyd from Colorado City, TX. He’s a small town rich white guy who willingly took a paycheck to be part of the government while also railing against the most basic services that said government should provide for its citizens. He did so, of course, via Facebook as social media allows the worst of us to express their worst attributes without even a moment’s hesitation. In the midst of the ineptness, it’s often easy to miss how many truly horrible people will do anything they can to grasp any status or position they can.

How do we prevent becoming a person like Tim Boyd or Greg Abbott? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Slow Down

Don’t be in a hurry to get ahead. Don’t be in a hurry to be the person in charge. Don’t be in a hurry to find the solution. Don’t be in a hurry to retire early and then have no plan for the rest of your life. Don’t be in a hurry to voice your opinion, especially publicly.

Instead, figure out the things you want to be good at and take time to excel at them. Turn your phone off. Leave it at home sometimes. Take a break from social media, maybe permanently. Focus on things that matter to you, not whatever brass ring you’re reaching for.

2. Don’t Compromise

Figure out your values and actually live them out. Work on what you believe and how it to put it into practice in the real world. Say no to things that violate what you hold to be true.

3. Do Compromise

Compromise perfect and settle for good. Compromise keeping up appearances at the office with leaving at a reasonable time and digging into family life, a hobby or skill you’d like to add, or furthering your education. Compromise going along to get along if it gets in the way of who you are or who you are trying to become.

To Hell With The Rat Race

There is a lot more to life than being mayor like Tim Boyd was. There’s also a lot less to life when you get caught up in all the nonsense. Tim Boyd resigned, his former constituents are still angry and still without drinkable water, and his wife got fired from her job because of his callous, arrogant words caused her to be on the receiving end of quite a few angry voices. He bought into a bevy of lies and tried to put on the face of the political party he represents, and it bit him and his family in a way they may not recover from. That all happened in a small city of 4000. Imagine the fallout of chasing position and authority above all else in a place where the stakes are much higher and the people affected far more numerous.

Don’t buy into it. Pursue goals that align with your values and will make you and the world around you better. Everything else is garbage that gets in the way and eventually the trap snaps shut on the rat and kills it.