Posted on by Sonia Dogra

Live Not in Counts

Dear Reader,

The first post of 2025 will be incomplete without the mention of the quintessential New Year. And with this change of dates, I cannot help but think of our obsession with quantification. Numbers play a significant role in our lives. We have calendars that help us transition from one year to the next. It’s like turning a new page, going from one to two, then three, and so on. We often make resolutions – you can fill in the number – and sometimes we change our minds later, turning them into (ir)resolutions. We also like to announce our fitness goals, again a target set in numbers. Then there are the number of words or books read or written, the work days completed, and minutes spent in meetings. We like to keep count of the things we own, not to forget our bank balances. We even calculate our hours of ‘beauty sleep’. In short, we are constantly quantifying every second of our lives.

As someone who has never enjoyed a cordial relationship with mathematics, living in a world dominated by numbers can be quite a nightmare. And yet, such is the structure of this world that even the most notorious students cannot dodge them. Only someone in my shoes can imagine my plight when I have to add thrice the amount of water to one-fourth cup of semolina!

I’ve often thought about the human need for tangibility in defining various aspects of life. Maybe using measures is the simplest way to understand our place in the grand scheme of things. Tabulation can simplify life, giving it a sense of order. So far, everything is fine. However, problems arise when these measures begin to define the essence of what we do.

For example, when the focus shifts from simply reading to the goal of ‘reading fifty books in 2025’ or from studying to the requirement of ‘three hours of study every day’ (or even the more recent and infamous proposal of a seventy-hour work week) or from living to striving for a lifespan of a hundred years.

It reminds me of my son’s mathematics teacher, who emphasized on solving a hundred questions every day! I was never sure whether to support the importance of practice or oppose such robotic procedures. I simply didn’t want my child to lose out on the joy of curiosity and the excitement of learning, which could have been easily overshadowed by such daunting objectives.

It would be foolish of me to nullify the need for numbers but when it comes to measuring life (if I may take the liberty of expanding the concept to all aspects of living), it deprives me of the ability to experience joy and the simple pleasures of spontaneity. In my humble opinion,  ‘how much’ is the most inappropriate misnomer for determining ‘how well’.

So I suppose, that’s what I’ll choose to do this year–live well, as far as I can. Because this world, as we know, is a turbulent place. And our greatest contribution might be to avoid adding to the chaos.   

     

Before I end, I’d love to recite this beautiful poem by Mary Oliver. It’s titled ‘Today’.

Discover more from A Hundred Quills

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

24 Replies to “Live Not in Counts”

  1. That’s a beautiful reading of Mary Oliver’s poem, Sonia. And you’re right about our need to quantify things. I guess it’s because we ourselves are finite and have a need to measure time and space to root ourselves somehow? Now you’ve got me thinking ☺️

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  2. I am loving your recitations. Happy New Year. And by the way, this is my current plight. My new year resolution is to not be too hard on myself and yet push myself out of my comfort zone. I hope you understand, that my problem lies in numbers or quantities or boundaries. Just how much is too much or too little.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  3. I agree, Sonia. This year, I, too, wish to just live every moment as peacefully as I can. No resolutions, no “100 books to read in 2025” or “100 paintings to make in 2025”, etc. I don’t wish to add to the chaos. It’s peace I need.
    Oh, and I, too, don’t have a great relationship with mathematics, so I try and avoid numbers as much as I can. 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  6. Gosh ! How strange ! My first post for the Club magazine to which I contribute monthly , was also about numbers ! I too had a very tenuous relationship with numbers . Believe it or not , I had a fool proof system of solving mathematical problems step by step because we got marks for steps and not only the correct answer ! I still use my fingers to count ;₹

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  7. I love numbers! I love math. I am not very organised though I constantly strive to me.

    But, quantification gives us a sense of where we are at in the big scheme of our plans! When you do not have a better option, I think numbers back us up. For example, I would love to get out of the door everyday to walk in the evening. If my friend is joining me, I am out in a jiffy. But, if she and her talk is not with me, the only thing that can help me is the step count tracker!

    However, I know where you are coming from. There are many things which should not be measured as a quantity like the attention we give our kids, or what we do with poetry or our art.

    Wishing you a creative year,

    Namy

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thanks Namratha. My only issue with quantification is that I feel it makes life tedious. But I also understand it’s an inevitable part of our journey until we find a better alternative.

      Like

      Reply

  8. I have enjoyed Math in school. However, I absolutely do not like being governed by numbers. As a consultant they ran my work life. I still depend on them to find a sense of accomplishment. I hope I become wise enough some day to not rely on them to feel worthy.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  9. I happen to be one of those people! I like numbers and targets and it organizes some things and still leaves plenty of time for “life”… helps me with my writing as well. 🙂 I do totally get your point though that it might not work for everyone. What matters is one is happy with either choice, I suppose.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Organising works well in most cases, I suppose. It’s over-ensuring and losing sight of the essential in meeting targets that scares me. Thank you, Rajani for adding your thoughts. As you say, whatever works for one.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

Leave a reply to Unishta Cancel reply