When we’re born we’re weighed and measured
Before we’re even wrapped and passed to mum.
She proudly tells the other mums how long
The labour was and how many hours you can sleep.
Those numbers will define you, before you even talk,
And then you’ll grow into a woman and you will
Worry over bathroom scales and calories.
You’ll get to school and fight for highest marks
And then at work you’ll need to hit those targets too.
You’ll have to buy a lovely house so money,
That’s another number that will eat you up.
Then there’s time, you’ll notice how it runs so fast,
You’ll lie about how quick you run and maybe you
Will fib about your age, your date of birth.
And one day when you’re old and grey, you’ll stop,
You’ll slow it down and wonder what the reasons were
For all those numbers ruling lives that could
Be so much more enjoyable if we just paused,
Breathed in the air and walked barefoot,
Just be, before that time runs out.
Margot Kinberg
We really are driven far too much by numbers. So many people who feel comfortable in their own skins are all of a sudden thrown into an anxiety attack when their weight becomes a topic. Why? Why is that number so socially important? And other numbers, too, like students’ exam scores, become these all-consuming identifiers. It’s really unfortunate.
patientandkindlove
I think we are wired to be competitive and that’s where it must come from. But you are right that it can cause real anxiety in even the most confident of people when we start to focus too heavily on numbers.
Susan Canganelli
A fine poem that makes me ponder!