The Shrink

There are scores of books recommending places to see, books to read, music to hear, golf holes to play or watercourses to fly-fish before we die. There are even dedicated websites that assist people in ticking items off the list. You might agree that this sounds a bit excessive. But aren’t we all under an ill-defined pressure to do, see and experience more? And aren’t we all accompanied by a vague sense of inadequacy if we realise we’re not keeping up?

It is sadly true that our time on earth is limited, and we’d be well advised to avoid wasting it. It has been said that instead of getting through our days doing routine things on autopilot, we should engage in new and uncomfortable experiences. These stretch our perception of time and, in a sense, our life. Then there is the research that tells us that people are happier when they spend their money on experiences rather than objects.