Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

A few days ago I was singing Kanye's praises for his, now Number 1, single, "Stronger".

I haven't been able to get Kanye's source track, by Daft Punk, out of my brain.

So, being the nerd that I am, I went back to that track (from 2001):

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger



Great video (how much money did that cost? A lot!)

In case you were entranced by the visuals, the lyrics are:

Work It
Make It
Do It
Makes Us

Harder
Better
Faster
Stronger

More Than
Our
Hour
Never

Ever
After
Work is
Over

Work It
Make It
Do It
Makes Us

Harder
Better
Faster
Stronger

Work It Harder Make It Better
Do It Faster Makes Us stronger
More Than Ever Hour After
Our Work Is Never Over

This in turn reminded me of one of my favourite Depeche Mode tracks- from 1983! Yes I was a teenager in the 80s (cringe).




Given the common theme it's interesting to note the increase in the very speed of the tracks from 1983->2001->2007.

My interest in this theme has a few angles- that I'm not going to go into great depth with right now; I'm "resting" on my sick bed (which I, in turn, am sick of).

As I've mentioned before, I'm researching a paper/book on the links between capitalism and addiction.

Capitalism is an economic base that is by its very nature- addictive (more, more more...) But that's a biggy- for another time.

The angle that I am thinking about at the moment, though, is STRESS.

Listening to the You and Yours yesterday about the UK alcohol problem, one person made a very valuable comment about why British society is losing it's way: the work/life balance being tipped too far towards work- to the detriment of family life.

Yesterday, I wrote a comment for the Edinbugh TV Festival- about why TV is in the sh** with so many scandals going down.

I said that there is now too much pressure on individuals to "perform"- with ever-decreasing budgets and time-scales to make programmes in.

When you work in TV it is your life- and the scandals are a symptom of this inbalance.

Individuals are giving all they can and it's got to the point that they are now cutting corners. Trying to square the circle.

I am just one of many talented 30-somethings who have given their 20s to TV and then hit the skids/burnt out/drink and drugged to oblivion and left/been forced to leave TV for greener, healthier pastures.

The BBC isn't as bad as some of the places that I worked- like Planet 24, in the 90s.

But it has been getting progressively worse- plus, the additional stresses of corporate restructuring and the IRA bomb, didn't help matters.

The Big Breakfast had a massive cocaine culture: because the hours and energy needed to make the show were intense. It was not humanly possible- with the resources we were given, to keep it up- for more than a few months. Like the miners in Peru chewing the coca leave- we used cocaine (and coffee) to stay upright.

Planet 24 was bang smack in the middle of another IRA bomb- the area was devastated- our newsagent died. Which, makes me think that maybe post-traumatic stress could be a factor too- at both organisations.

The modern world is seeing an escalation of addiction for many reasons but we should not underestimate the role of stress.

Stress triggers addiction because of how the brain works. Addiction is located in the "fight or flight" area of the brain, called the amygdala. Which is why we put so much emphasis on de-stressing and learning to manage stress, when a client's in treatment; to reduce the overall stress level.

We want to help the person stay in the frontal cortex of their brain- where rational thought is located and not get triggered into the highly emotional, fight or flight response. Obviously you can't totally manage this- which is why we work on strategies to cope with anxiety-producing events. Making plans etc.

The human body has amazing resources and stamina but it can only achieve so much. When the bar gets raised too high- you either accept its natural limits or use substances to stay in the game, on the bike, up all night, etc.

It seems that even High Art is being taken down by stress and the pressures to perform. This article, again in Sunday's Observer, is interesting reading: Angst, Drugs and Alcohol: that's opera

So what's the answer?

In my experience- you either heed the warnings. Or you suffer the consequences.

We as a society need to chill-out. Kick-back. Smell the coffee- but drink less of it.

I need to get up. I have a reiki session in 30 mins.