An Unfreedom

From the Wayfarer Tarot, the Two of Earth (Pentacles); from the Curious Oracle, the Arch:

...hurrying, multi-tasking, and feeling pressured trigger essentially the same hormonal and neural mechanisms that helped our ancestors run away from charging lions. At the heart of it all there’s an unfreedom: you can feel chained to obligatory tasks. ~Rick Hanson

This fellow is intensely concentrating on keeping the board and rocks balanced on his head. Yet such intensity isn't something that we can keep up over a long period of time. It will eventually begin to take a toll on our well-being, affecting our physical and mental health. While we all have situations when we need to briefly carry a heavier load, we still need to be aware of the rocks we add to our board. The Arch suggests a passage to a new way of thinking and doing, but the gateway may ask us some hard questions:

• Am I doing something because I care or because I feel guilty if I don't do it?
• Is there someone else who is abdicating their responsibility that I'm picking up the slack for?
• Do I think my self-worth comes from how much I do for others?
• Before I take on a new commitment, do I consider its costs?
• Am I holding myself to an impossible standard of perfection?
• Do I say yes because I am trying to get someone to like or include me? 

 Wisdom is choosing a greater happiness over a lesser one. ~Rick Hanson