Almost 20 years ago when I migrated to Sydney from Hong Kong, I remember we had to go through a transition to adapt to a new way of living. Unlike the vibrant Hong Kong, where you seem to be able to shop or eat anywhere, anytime; shops in Sydney only opened 9am-5pm on weekdays.
Technology was also simple back then. It was the days where it was just the good old television set, a VCR, and the telephone. There weren't home theatre sound systems. Mobile phones and computers were still the high-end consumer products. I would be able to spend more time with mum and dad, going to the nearby oval to either play ballgames, or ride a bicycle. Then you could invite neighbours to come and visit or pick up the phone to chat with friends.
Then we felt that we should be more competitive. The five day week for the retail sector was definitely not enough. How could we shop when they close when people just finished work? People wanted more entertainment and wanted more activities on the weekend.
Soon after, shops began operating 7 days a week and shopping times became longer and longer. 24 hour supermarkets begin to appear. Night life has continued to grow in Australia. More and more restaurants and cafes began to close later and later. Five years ago when I visited Perth, there was only one street in a suburb of Northbridge that had some sort of 'night life'. There were probably a total of 10 bars, pubs, and restaurants altogether that opened past 5pm. A colleague just recently visited Perth tells now has streets filled with cafes, bars, restaurants that stay open forever.
Australia has finally caught up with the rest of the world. We finally have a life after 5pm. People are working around the clock to provide entertainment and retail services. We now work longer hours so we could ultimately earn enough to spend more on entertainment expenses and enjoy a
betterlife.
So we have achieved what we wanted. Shops, restaurants open 7 days a week. All the city skyscrapers are more lit then ever at night making our city look brighter at night than it is in daylight. Technology has made our lives much easier. With internet access, you can get the latest news, and be able to reach anybody all over the world via email. The world is working without rest to satisfy our demands.
But now we are suffering the consequences.
Family wise, the lack of time spent with family (or perhaps getting too much entertainment away from home), we see marriages breakup, or family arguments. Friends, become less and less close as they need more time to bring in more income to support this way of living.
Technology has helped bring people closer. Or has it rather made people more distant? Rather than speaking directly to the person that sits next to you at work, you have to email him; rather than being able to communicate with family, we probably spend more time staring at the computer screen to surf the internet than we see our family members. Rather than meeting up your friend over the weekend to chat, you have to SMS him instead because he has a weekend shift for work.
Our natural resources are stretched to the limit. The increased pollution and carbon dioxide emissions released as a result of satisfying our demands (whether it be transportation getting us from A to B, or those extra energy consumption to have that unforgettable dinner) has hurt the earth. Just to show a bit of statistics:
- 12 of the past 13 years were the warmest since records began;
- Glaciers, snow cover and permafrost have decreased in both hemispheres;
- Sea levels are rising at the rate of almost 2mm a year;
- Cold days, nights and frost have become rarer while hot days, hot nights and heatwaves have become more frequent.
And the cause is clear, says the climate experts: 'It is very likely that [man-made] greenhouse gas increases caused most of the average temperature increases since the mid-20th century.'
And the consequences go on ...
This is what the earth is like when we are the managers, doing what we would like to do to satisfy our needs. We get our luxuries by ruining (whether it be quickly or slowly) relationships, family, life, and the earth.
There is a purpose in God's direction when he tells us to rest on the 7th day.
- We could revive to prepare ourselves for the coming week;
- Have time out to communicate and maintain relationships with friends and family;
- Gives the Earth a rest; and most importantly
- Gives us quiet time to reflect on our relationship with God.
Rather to live a life with the aim of chasing endless wants, lets reflect on how life should really be lived so we can make this world a better place. Not a place just after money, but for love. God's love.
