The cult of binging - Part II

Last week I had a rant about the cult of binging, but before I could really get stuck into my main idea, I exceeded the word limit and the editor of this blog said “Enough’s enough”. So I had to split it up – here is the first part, and what follows is the second part.

My main rant was on the idea of people binging on holidays, namely those who work so frenetically and are living such a lifestyle that holidays or time off becomes the thing they binge on (as opposed to food or alcohol or winking or whining).

But if you’re still not clear as to what binge holidaying is, or are worried that you might fall into this category, then the following three questions will reveal your current status.

1. Have you ever totally flopped on Friday evening and not had the energy to do anything for the entire weekend?
2. Have you ever taken months off work to travel and ‘discover’ yourself?
3. Have you ever gone on holidays and done absolutely nothing just to recover from your ‘busy’ life?

If you have answered yes to one or more of these, then in my official capacity as Lord High Poobah of the United Nations Binge Certification Authority, I declare you to be a Binge Holidayer.

But that’s not fair you say. Where’s the natural justice? What’s the appeal process? How should I fix it? Double rainbow, what does it mean?

In addition to those questions, you may be thinking ‘what’s wrong with being a binge holidayer’. Well who said there was anything wrong with it?

In fact the idea is not new, and appears to have been around since the very beginning of time. “By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work” (Genesis Chapter 2). Not only that but God even commanded his people to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Exodus Chapter 20). Furthermore our society even has an ‘end’ to the week which is actually two days, along with recreation leave, sick leave, parental leave, long service leave, leave with out pay and leave to recover from leave, which is probably a good sign that taking time off is important.

But ultimately it is an issue of degree - how much time off do we need or deserve? Are we living a sustainable lifestyle? That is as individuals or as a society? Is it healthy to be so frantic, so busy, and so hectic in our work life that we then need to binge on time off just to recover and survive?

But what else are we supposed to do?

My answer to that question is “How would I know?”

I am really sorry to disappoint you, but if you thought you were about to discover the secret of work/life balance on a blog called Daily Vowel Movements that specialises in wasting your time on the Internet, then I am now even more concerned for your well-being. 

Because in the end, I am just a simple guy, who runs a blog, who likes funny pictures (both the cat and non-cat variety), and poking fun at things and people. And on that note, I will end this rant. Of course, if you do know the answer, I would be more than happy to hear from you, otherwise, hope to see you back here next Monday for another edition of “Noisy Gongs and Clanging Cymbals”.