MOVING LIFE FORWARD

What’s on your daily to-do? It’s likely packed with tons of different jobs, both big and small. From moving forward in your career to making breakfast for the family, the moment we get out of bed we are energized by the thought of getting things done. 

Our lives are very much organized around this agenda of checking the boxes. We see all the impact of this mentality in the progress of our world. Many agree that everything is moving forward precisely because of this way of life. 

This is present even across the globe. Fiji, too, has the daily to-do’s to help move everything forward. For some, the task is yoking up their oxen to farm the field. Others begin their shift at a hotel or resort, leaving their family for the next week or two. Whether they are working in the tropical hot sun or spending time away from their families, these people are making an impact to provide and move their villages and families forward. 

In one way or another, this is a relatively universal truth. Hours are poured into the tireless effort of getting things done to move everything forward.

But while this is a crucial part of our responsibility in society, is it possible that we overlook another important element in the process?

We at Fiji Wild wake up to this question every time we go back to the islands. Though we certainly see the villagers wake up at the crack of dawn to yoke up their oxen or head off to the hotels, their focus is ultimately elsewhere. 

This other priority takes place on the mat. Once the morning tea is prepared, everyone just sits together and just talks. That’s it. 

As the days go by, you realize that, in this slower-paced way of life, this is how they spend most of their time. This is how they move their lives forward. They sit on the mat, share stories, tell wild jokes, and just connect eye to eye, face to face. It's a rare way of life compared to our western world.

What if “wasting away” the hours of the day face to face with someone, as much as we might fear it, would send us to bed at night without regret? What if we wouldn’t wonder what we might have accomplished otherwise? What if we could be content to simply relish that fruit of conversation, of relationship?

We hope this alternative culture runs through the veins of our company at Fiji Wild. In a culture of getting things done, we never want to lose sight of how important it is to feel the deep contentment of a simple conversation while sipping some smooth coffee. Let's rebalance the scales.