By Sven Aranha
You’re trapped in a cage you have no escape from, a cage you have never learnt to claw at, escape from, question. The existentialism that arises when one is trapped in a dead-end job has been explored by many notable writers (Kafka being my favorite), however, the apparent cause of this dissatisfaction has been neglected. This feeling of existentialism lurks in our minds throughout the week, and choses our most vulnerable moment to strike, consume and overwhelm. This moment is commonly known as Sunday.
Why Sunday though? There are two discernable reasons; Sunday marks the beginning of a new week, highlighting the fatuity of the actions one may have committed to in the previous week, or Sunday betokens the advent of yet another work week, the end of a momentary rest in a dreary symphony.
These seemingly disparate reasons are strongly related to each other through the means of what they represent- a feeling of the lack of productivity and the need for productivity. While this idea of productivity differs from person to person, culture plays a central role in determining this meaning. Placing these reasons within the context of the musicians, these reasons must be seen within American culture.
Although America is formally a mixed economy, its cultural roots lie deeply in capitalistic ideology; ideology that views labor-force as a commodity. In order to efficiently utilize the capabilities of the labor-force, 5-day work weeks arose under pioneers like Henry Ford during the Industrial Revolution. Sunday was but 24 hours that we gave a name, but the industrial revolution gave that name new significance. Now, it is the dangling carrot that steers the masses away from their freedoms, and It does so by promising freedom. Sunday, especially the end of Sunday, hence signals the end of the freedoms promised from corporate life.
The weekend, in its promises of relief and liberation, becomes a want for the people that firms now capitalize on, resulting in an endless cycle of a life dictated by a capitalistic agenda. A life one can’t find its way out of as doing so would mean breaking out of the very foundations of present society.
While those in corporate settings may feel the pressures or the dread of the approaching week of hard work, others find existentialism in their lack of productivity or direction in life. Aimlessness cannot exist without societal expectations of an aim, because as economists argue scarcity exists due to the unlimited human wants. Now, these wants may either be linked to our basic human needs or something beyond; something society may view as appreciable or favorable.
The most concrete example of these societal expectations can be seen within the American Dream. Although not how the American Dream was intended to be, it became the ideal that anyone could achieve a level of economic prosperity where they could possess a large house with a white picket fence, an expensive car, and a loving family. These were taken as goals to achieve instead of achieving the underlying principle of independence. As such, many people find themselves lost as each Sunday arrives because they find themselves no closer to achieving these lofty dreams than they were before. In ‘The Death of a Salesman’, Arthur Miller adroitly depicts the similar effect of these ideals through the parental influence of Willy Loman on his son Biff. While Biff treasures his job of working on a farm, Willy’s constant reminders of the success he envisions for him weighs him down, making him anxious and low. These pressures still exist as people attempt to pursue their passions but do not meet the successes their neighbors attain.
In present society this extends beyond the materialistic, as now job satisfaction itself is a craving that people seldom find. They toil and trundle doing work they have no love for, work they are forced to care about. The result? A lack of productivity. Hence, the demonic cyclical nature of Sundays serves as a constant reminder of the lack of footing they have in society; the lack of joy, of materialistic comforts, of the productivity that social media harps on about.
Do I experience these ‘Sunday Blues’? Yes, despite my efforts to keep at my work I do experience them, because as every individual living under a similar social system, I am hungry for more: more comforts, more development in my character, more accomplishments. Realization of this system I am stuck in provides relief as does the acceptance of the fact that as humans we do not possess the capability of working endlessly. In my experience, another way to avoid these blues is to manage your schedule well, avoid packing in too much. As a member of society one must realize that supererogation provides no fruit worth its cost.
There are too many questions in this world that require answers, but this question that the Strokes posed gave me a minute to reflect. As I write this on a Sunday, this essay comes from a place of sympathy for those who feel like me, suffering from something unrecognized as a disorder but a very real problem. When we understand why our Sundays are depressing, maybe we can learn to pass the blame on to long standing socioeconomic mechanisms and factors, or choose to take a break by blocking out these thoughts over the weekend. Neither seem feasible? That’s because they aren’t. At least, they aren’t when you are on your own. The goal of this whole discussion was to arrive at the fact that it is natural to feel lost or miserable on a Sunday evening while laying under the comforter on your bed. And since it is such a widespread problem there exists a simple solution- contact a therapist. Once you have a guide to help you understand your emotions and the source of it all, you could begin managing your time, devoting yourself to tasks that matter, making small changes, making big changes, and one day finding yourself a bit happier on a Sunday evening.
By Sven Aranha
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