Are Cities as Productive as They Seem?
I’ve spent a lot of time in big cities and having done so, you observe the hecticness of it all. People tend to be always in a rush with patience being a virtue that is not as common as it would be elsewhere. Now it certainly lends itself to productivity as few would argue if I were to say that large population centers tend to be the most economically vibrant.
But with time and size comes entropy, a term that we may raise again at a latter date but basically the fact that as time passes and a conglomerate grows in numbers, things become less efficient. Decisions get made slower. Things get done at a slower pace. Bureaucrats and administrators attach themselves. Yet on the exterior, everyone is still running around like before. Just as…productive . Some might surmise that it is a slow death.
Most Decisions are Meaningless
This endless running around yet accomplishing very little has been said to be the madness of men. Days are jam packed with activities as to seem as there is not enough time to get everything done. But much of it is clogged with pointless inefficiency. We see it in the day to day life of a typical urbanite:
- What to wear in the morning
- Which pair of shoes
- Which route to work
- What cereal to buy
- What to have for lunch
And the list goes on. With most of it being pointless. And if it’s pointless, better to move slower, more deliberately while letting others work themselves into a frenzy. That expansion of time if you will, allows for a more level headed decision making process.
For it is not about making the most decisions, but the best ones.
Kingston S. Lim
24th September 2022
Lagos, Nigeria
Kingston S. Lim 