Life is a Marathon

Recently, I was reading about an organization that works to end official torture around the world. I was struck by the group's president, and her call to her task. She is compelled to spend her life on this work. It's important work, but while I'm briefly tempted to quit my job and help, I quickly become overwhelmed by all the many good causes that deserve my support. There are lots of different things to be done to make the world better. I get sad when I think about them all, because I can't do it all.

There's not enough time in the day, or years in my life. And I realize, while I decide what to do, that life is a marathon. I could spend 18 hours a day working to make the world better, and I'd burn out, get sick and die. To make the most amount of good change in the world, I need to pace myself. Over my entire life. I need to breathe and relax and pray from time to time, so I can get up in the morning tomorrow and keep working.

I'm reminded of The Monkeysphere, the idea that our social brains can't keep track of more than a certain number of people. My brain can't function and keep working to produce work of quality, if I get sucked into all the badness and misery in life. I only have so much attention to devote, and if I want to run the race I have to stay focused.

I should stop from time to time and make sure I'm running in the right direction on the right road. But I can't do that every day, and I shouldn't.