Starving for Presence

I looked inside.

The room was cluttered.

Corners of my mind, quietly rotting.

Love, a flickering lightbulb,

without warmth.

Memories covered with dust,

settled on everything

I never said

and wish I had.

Are you losing your mind?

About 20-30% of us work shifts outside the typical 9 to 5. The rest of us follow standard daytime hours.

Somewhere in the middle of all this, we crave connection in an endlessly connected world.

Do we realise we are responsible for our own lifestyles?

How many of us are truly trapped in the relentless speed of modern life?

The signs are everywhere - in mental health data and cultural trends. Burnout is no longer just an individual problem. It is a global occupational phenomenon; chronic, unmanageable exhaustion.

Facts:

43% of workers worldwide say they feel “almost always” or “always” burned out.
In the US - the land of opportunity - over 60% of millennials and Gen Z report regular burnout.
Over 60% of people in developed nations say they don’t have enough time for rest, family, or leisure.
The World Health Organisation estimates more than 300 million people globally suffer from depression. They actively promote disconnecting to reconnect.
Anxiety disorders affect 1 in 7 people worldwide.
More than half of adults in high income countries are chronically sleep-deprived.

We are distracted - by information overload, by cultural pressure, by speed.

We have forgotten how to have deep conversations. We avoid solitude. We no longer cook slowly, walk without purpose, or even let ourselves get bored.

We can no longer rest… even when we are resting.

We feel lonely in a connected world.

One more social media platform and I might switch to a Nokia from the 90’s.

But do we dare disconnect to really connect?

Loneliness is louder than ever. We feel unseen. We replaced deep presence with emojis.

We are passive to participating in what matters.. our democracy. Our way of being.

We break… quietly, in silence.

We often lack purpose in our work. Our traditions have shifted or vanished.

We lack economic security in a world of rising living costs, housing crises, debt, low wages. Even if you have “succeeded”, you are one thin thread from collapsing. We have wealth inequality, climate change, wars, AI anxiety; all is happening at the same time.

Do you feel overwhelmed, numb, powerless… in despair? Do you barely keep it together?

We focus on superficial beauty instead of switching our light ON.

We feel inadequate, self-judging and ashamed.

Emotional intelligence and empathy are just instagram memes.

Relationships become hard work, encouraging ghosting, shallow intimacy, betrayal, fear of vulnerability.

Have we become vulgar and monsters feeding our own demise?

And somewhere deep inside, a little voice in our heads whispers… “Is it just me? Am I the only one crumbling under the noise?”

No. You are not.

You, reading this. Tell me.

Why?

Why do we choose the relentless pace?

Why have we turned rest into guilt?

Why do we judge someone taking a break as lazy?

Why do we tolerate governments that overlook us?

Why aren’t we more involved in decisions shaping our lives?

We get asked about exiting the EU, but not about entering wars, or how we work, or how we want to live.

Is this democracy?

By definition, democracy is power vested in the people.

Either directly or through freely elected representatives. Is it time to rethink that? To truly shape our own realities. To truly participate in our lives. Not just watch them - lived by ghosts.

Talk about democracy.

Maybe having a few people in power isn’t the answer.

Because power changes people.

We let weak leaders rule us. This is not democracy. This is representative democracy that chokes our voice. It doesn’t let us define the laws or the way we want to live. We think we have transparency? We don’t. Those in public service know this. Those in authority know this.

This isn’t democracy.

This isn’t rest.

This isn’t living.

This isn’t just.

So what is?

That… is up to us.

But first, lets dare to pause. Lets listen. Lets show up. Lets be present, so we can choose.

Reimagining Democracy?

How can we redefine democracy? How can we become an informed and educated world?

One that votes collectively on major decisions. Should every citizen be part of government, even in rotating turns? Should we dare question the norms we have inherited?

We get randomly selected for jury duty.

Why not for policy making?

This isn’t new thinking:

John Dewey saw democracy as a way of life.
Jean-Jacques Rousseau spoke of general will, where citizens collectively create laws.
Benjamin Barber was encouraging active citizen participation over electoral democracy.
Carole Pateman argued for participatory democracy.
Pericles promoted direct participation (ok.. for male citizens) in political assemblies.
Socrates emphasised critical questioning and dialogue. Not passive obedience.
Aristotle saw democracy being built on active citizenship and virtue.

Why not combine the best of all?

We need leaders who cannot be bought. Who dare to do what is best for humanity. We need kind, spiritual, grounded leaders with balls of steel, that can turn division into solidarity.

We need to understand:

We are not each other’s enemy. We built this system. We can rebuild it, if we dare.

Democracy is not delegation. It is participation. Every citizen is a stakeholder. Every voice deserves to be heard. Why do we have digital platforms if not to vote on the things that matter?

Lets educate for critical thinking. Lets demand transparency. Lets decentralise power. Lets slow down politics, to deliberate, listen and act with care. Lets be present.

Lets shape humanity for humanity.

Start with changing ourselves. Start with strengthening our moral values once again. Start with love.

Rise.

Don’t listen to me. I am just another human being. Just like you.

#poem #simplethoughts #simplewords #OneMoreSentence #notalone