It seems that our lives are lived (maybe that’s not even the right word!) at an ever faster pace. In this satirical (or is it parody?) take on Psalm 23, Marcia Hornok gives us some insight into the toll that busyness is taking on us, as individuals and a society. Psalm 23, often called the shepherd psalm, itself gives a picture of rest in God’s protection, which makes the irony of this version even greater.
The clock is my dictator, I shall not rest.
It makes me lie down only when exhausted.
It leads me to the deep depression, it hounds my soul.
It leads me in circles of frenzy for activities’ sake.
Even though I run frantically from task to task,
I will never get it all done, for my “ideal” is with me.
Deadlines and my need for approval, they drive me.
They demand performance from me, beyond the limits of my schedule.
They anoint my head with migraines, my in-basket over-flows.
Surely fatigue and time pressure shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the bonds of frustration forever.
