Coasting

We have been conditioned to keep optimising, streamlining, increasing efficiency, maximizing efficacy all in the pursuit of productivity and self-improvement. The idea of becoming the best version of ourselves is often framed as a noble pursuit, but I sometimes wonder: is this drive to optimise an intrinsic part of human nature, or have we been shaped by social forces that push us towards an insatiable hunger for expansion, dominance, and control?

It makes me question whether this obsession with growth is simply another vestige of colonialism, another way in which Western hegemony sustains itself. Many indigenous cultures emphasize respect, appreciation, and coexistence rather than imposition. They prioritise balance over unchecked expansion, growth alongside restoration. Meanwhile, the modern world glorifies a kind of restless, insecure ambition that fuels progress but also breeds exhaustion. Yes, it has its merits, but is it sustainable?

At the same time, I wrestle with contradictions within my own culture, East African culture. I find myself frustrated by what feels like stagnancy, a lack of urgency, a resistance to movement. I resist idleness, striving instead to carve out something different for myself. But I have to ask: at what point does this pursuit of optimisation become less about growth and more about self-loathing? If my own culture lacks this relentless drive, does that mean it has, in some way, cultivated self-acceptance? And if so, could there be something valuable in that’s something worth reclaiming? 

Again i think the issue here is viewing these seemingly contradictory opinions as diameterically apposed to one another and not being able to coexist in the same sphere. It is entirely possible that one can hold both truths and still function as one would. I mean what is the human experience if not full of contradictions. These notions are worth exploring and delving more deeply.

On a simpler level i would question the motivations. If one is better able at achieving the desired outcome, then that is the road to embark on.

5 March 2025