The Double Agent of Life

NO, I'm not going to talk about Russians Spies who are working as American Spies in the likes of Evelyn Salt.

You have friends whom you qualify as bookworms, nerds, studious students and/or workaholics. They enjoy being busy with books, tons of paper works, or getting down and dirty with their studies or job; they're the earliest to arrive and last to leave (work or school) without complaining, or even take home some work at their own will. They just love the sense of accomplishment, or a checklist where every box is ticked. They jump from one book to another as they love reading; they seem to have relevant materials for reading or reference on all your inquiries, or they seem to know even things you are completely ignorant or unmindful of! They manage to find something to do every time, even during holidays. Valedictorian / Employee of the Year? Here s/he is.

And then you have the free spirited friends, who say that they are here to "eat, pray, love". Love 'em, hate 'em. They are either your modern-age 'Buddha', as in the enlightened one or your friend who always seem to be in a limbo. Nonetheless, they believe in learning through experience, hence they are unafraid of surprises and out-of-this-world adventures. New opportunities? Count them in! Risks are part of their lives. You can ask them at the last minute for something unknown or crazy and you'll hear a resounding "Yes" from them. They never fail to look up at the clear blue sky every time from dawn to dusk, and then marvel at the rest of God's creation. Not only that, they seem to know and have a relationship with almost everyone that you know!

While you're reading it, maybe you're trying to figure out which one of your friends are like that, or, which of the two are you. Frankly, I don't believe in stereotyping. So let me debunk all that I had quantified/qualified there. Some of us who say they might fall under bookworms/nerds aren't necessarily studious. Or workaholics don't necessarily stay overtime at work... they just come in on weekends. Heeh. And then maybe you're not as free spirited as I described here but you do love the outdoors and doing adrenaline-rushing activities from time to time.

But in my 20+ years of existence, I have observed that there really are people who swing to the most extreme end of the pendulum, those who have just too much of one thing.

Just can't seem to stay still on one side, can ya?

Here's what I have to say--live the double agent's life, have the best of both worlds!

I know that good grades or getting your boss'es thumbs up are rewarding; knowing that you gave your day's check list the 100% effort is what your work/studies deserve--but there's so much outside the four corners of your classroom/office to enjoy and experience. If you're a nerdy or bookish, well get out of your comfort zone and apply all the 'wisdom' and 'knowledge' you got from the books or articles that you read. Relationships are waiting to be built, and new territories are waiting to be explored, adventures waiting to be experienced. It wouldn't hurt to take it slow, or definitely pause, and take a look around. You might even be surprised to see how fast things change--from places to people. Personally, I find a person even more interesting if s/he has other things in his/her planner aside from work. It means they're multi-faceted, and maybe there are more 'skins' to peel before you get to the core of that person's identity.

And for you (I may also be speaking to myself) who may enjoy freedom and slowing down all too much, here's a news for you: Life is short. You can't be jumping on every opportunity or be in a state of limbo all the time. Is there too much going on and you don't seem to know where to start? Why don't we start with organize your life? Saying yes to everything might be harmful for you (Remember Yes Man?), as you add unnecessary baggage a.k.a. clutter to your life. There are things that are important and urgent, and then there are things are that are important but can wait. It's a good time to de-clutter and drop those that don't fall in either category. Do you have a destination (a goal, a plan, an objective) that you want to go to when you're 25, 35, 45, 55, 65? Here's a suggestion: PLAN. Maybe it's time that you get back on the track of your dreams and get the engine started. Don't worry about tension or stress that comes from work or school, you'll find a way to deal with it--just like when you give wisdom to your enlightenment-seeking friends.

I believe in balance of life. And this isn't just me saying it, or your self-help books that you've already shelved. Here's The Bible talking about work and rest even on the first days of creation:
God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day. By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done. (Genesis 1:31, 2:2-3)
God worked, God saw all that He made and knew it was good, and then God rested. God took time to work (six, full days!), made sure it was excellent, and He rested and enjoyed all that He had created.

Mind you, there are even more verses in the Bible that speaks on how to go about work and life itself. But this is the very first mention of work and rest in the history of mankind. Now, who to better emulate when it comes to these things but God? HE is the very first double agent of life, by leading an example of balanced life on work and rest.

Are you ready to come out of this long weekend as double agents? I wanna hear from you! Share with me your awesome stories of being double agents! Post here, if you want!

Comments

  1. ah.. work and rest..
    hard to balance that stuff

    ReplyDelete
  2. Yes, Bob. :)
    But we must.

    I'm now realizing how incohesive this write up is. I was going to discuss about working hard and "playing" hard, but it goes to the discussion of work and rest.

    *facepalm*

    ReplyDelete

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