Thought For The Day #25

Broadcast 15th of May 2014 on BBC Radio Bristol

Audio available at http://www.mytalky.com/nnX

It’s Stamp Out Stress week at Bath University. They’re putting on a series of events like a Petting Zoo of cute animals, Health MOTs and massages. Why don’t we see this kind of thing more often? Like at work or school? My first thought is that it’s because they’re seen as novelties or gimmicks. Cuddling fluffy animals or getting a back rub is nice, but is it really going to help solve any serious problems? Like hungry children, or crippling debt? I doubt it.

What I really want is to spend two weeks in a cottage by the sea with all my responsibilities taken care of by somebody else. How great would it be if I could just do that whenever things got stressful at work!? But of course sadly, that’s never going to happen. I need to work to keep a roof over my head. And so to indulge in some cynicism for a moment: I don’t think we can truly deal with stress unless we change the entire way our society functions. Which basically boils down to a sensible cost of living.

Right, so now we need a political and economic revolution before we can all relax. Ironically that all sounds rather stressful. But in a way it’s a genuine observation. I could argue that in fact literally everything we do is about trying to reduce stress. Whether it’s fighting in a war or begging on the street, it’s all about just trying to find some morsel of peace from the struggles of life.

In which case, why not just cut out the middle man? Go grab some kittens, get yourself on the massage table and book that holiday. There’s no time like the present.