The Pressure to be "Elsewhere"

A parent and good friend recently gave me an article from Newsweek Magazine entitled "Welcome to Elsewhere." The article written by sociologist Danny Conley from New York University, talks about the pressures of young professionals to always be "somewhere else".

Conley says..."Today's professional...is constantly dogged by a feeling that he or she should be 'elsewhere' -- back at the office, at a party full of potential clients, home with the kids or at a social function with the spouse. Always on the go, we feel like we are in the right place at the right time only when in transit moving from point A to B. (Dalton Conley 'Welcome to Elsewhere', Newsweek)"

As I read this I was reminded how true this is not only for young professionals but true for me and the many other families I know working to juggle the busyness of work, family, sports, social life, church , service and the many other things we end up involved in. Its no longer an issue of just being 'busy' but now even when we are where we think we need to be we feel guilty because we often feel we should probable be 'somewhere else'.

I am reminded in Proverbs where it says "​The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,
but the belly of the wicked suffers want. " We invest so much energy into finding satisfaction in places where it will never be found; ( i.e career, religion, status, success, our children.) However, in the midst of our longing for fulfillment and satisfaction the gospel speaks to our wandering hearts to tell us that we can be free from the pressure to be 'elsewhere'. It is our identity in Christ that allows us to live and be 'fully present' and 'fully satisfied' in whatever place and time life's path has taken us.

To read Conley's full article from Newsweek , click here.