One time, I asked an aquaintance of mine if he could help design something for me. The weight of the request was equivalent to someone asking help to edit a paper or review a resume, yet his response was that he was "too busy with work."
First off,
I commend him for being so honest. Most kind, introverted people tend to say "yes" out of the obligatory nature of trivial requests such as mine. But not he, and I was actually kind of surprised.
I hate it when people ask me how I've been and I hear myself unconsciously saying that I've been busy. There's nothing wrong with telling the truth, but sometimes it ironically comes off as a way to pretentiously imply that your life is productive and successful, let's say, as opposed to someone who is in search of a career. I think I'm particularly sensitive about the I'm-too-busy response because I'm usually on the receiving end of that conversation-- always looking for something substantial to fulfill my life.
At least for the year that I've experienced working full-time, I think I know what busy means, and what kind of toll it takes on working people in the aftermath of office hours. Not to say that working full time sucks-- I couldn't ask for anything more in a time that I feel at my prime to do important things for myself, my family, and the world.
It's true that I not only value education, but also love the idea of learning and provoking intellectual conversations, but right now, for me to say at 23 that I need another degree feels...egotistical.
When we are emerging our prime at the age of twentysomething, we should use our passion, skills, and talents when we can, to better our surroundings, relationships, and communities. That's what I realized during my AmeriCorps year.
So when we are "busy," it's a good thing. Growth is a good thing, and pushing yourself is even better.
I kind of went off on a tangent from my first point, and I guess I'm kind of contradicting it, because I think being busy is great. But really, what I wanted to say is that I understand what it means to be "too busy." It doesn't necessarily mean you have a ton of things to do after work and before you go to bed (although it easily can), but that time is just so damn precious.
My supervisor (at my "faith-based" organization) told one of my coworkers that "busy" stands for "Being Under Satan's Yoke," and I can't help but to feel so dumbfounded because of the incredibly comical acronyms Christians come up with to make others feel guilty. I don't know about you, but that doesn't sound very Christ-like.
