The most frequently asked question in 2023: "Why are you taking a sabbatical?"

Counter question: Why not?

Short warning: the following article was created under the influence of strong emotions, you also could say I was pissed off. Reading is therefore at your own risk!

I'm fed up

I'm sitting on my beloved orange velvet sofa at home in Switzerland with my enormous sinusitis, because I've literally had enough of the uninspiring conversations lately. Can someone please explain to me, why should you NOT take a sabbatical? Why should one decide NOT to scan life for all possibilities that promise freedom and joy of life and NOT implement them, especially considering the fact that our life is finite, which all of us know very well?

I know, I know, I know... I have heard various counter-arguments in epic breadth in recent months... counter-arguments from adults who systematically deprioritize their natural joy of life and make external expectations a benchmark .... who let themselves be seduced by the carrot in front of their nose, instead of doing what makes them experience in depth how great and colorful it is to LIVE and ENJOY and CELEBRATE and be YOURSELF.... "I have obligations", "I am not mobile", "I don’t have enough money", "I don’t have the courage", "I am too old" .... dear all, please remember the following principle: If your thinking is rooted in lack, it is only lack that can arise from it. Where is your thirst for life, where is your ability to dream, where is your childish curiosity about life, where is your creative power as top of evolution?

Why have we all adapted so damn much and forgotten to listen to what we ourselves really want? Why have we stopped asking which individual wishes and dreams have been slumbering in each one of us since childhood being an expression of our uniqueness? Why do we accept the big bulldozer named education, school and social expectations, which rolls over us and ensures that our delicate uniqueness is rolled down by prefabricated templates so that we function like an oiled cog in the capitalist social order? I do not exclude myself, it's really the big drama of our time. 

Reactions to tear one’s hair out

How many times have I heard the statements: "Oh, you're taking a sabbatical? I'm jealous of you!" or also "A sabbatical? Wow, that was always my biggest dream!" or this reaction "How lucky you are that you can do something like that! Unfortunately, this is not possible for me!"

Let us now make the effort and take a closer look at the inner attitudes of the individual speakers. We will take the speakers responsible for each one of their words and do not accept that these should have been some phrases that they just said like that. Please hold on, now it's going to be exciting! And painful!

Reaction #1 "Oh, you're taking a sabbatical? I'm jealous of you!" 

So, here we are dealing with a person who, according to his/her own information, is jealous. This is, as far as we all know, a pretty unsightly condition. Envy is on the Vitality Tone and Attitude Scale by Stephen J. Cocoony (2019) at the lower end of vitality and life force. The scale says that envious people tend to be a magnet for failure, negativity and emotional imbalance.

Sorry people, but these are the scientific facts. Envious people have a pronounced susceptibility to stress and at the body level this can even be accompanied by tense muscles, tightness in the chest and complete rigidity in the body. A sociological perspective: "Envy is a social phenomenon that arises through comparison to others. The envious person observes his/her environment, evaluates the differences and sees him/herself at a disadvantage. Envy thus refers to a feeling in which the envious person wants to dispose of the goods of another person him/herself or begrudges the other person.”

Doesn't really sound sexy when you consciously think about it. Whenever I heard this reaction that someone is jealous of me, I felt it rumbling in my stomach and that I don't want to delve further into a conversation. Such a statement certainly is not a compliment. This statement is a direct reference to the helplessness and sadness of the person standing in front of me. Ouch. It is more fun to talk to people who consciously shape their lives and therefore love it exactly as they have created it. As a result, they can then sincerely enjoy the happiness of others. This exchange produces a fundamentally different energy and is enriching.

So, let's all be a little more attentive with such statements and self-critically ask ourselves what unfulfilled need is lying behind when we envy others for something. And what we can do to take our need seriously and take care of it, so that in the future we can meet our fellow human beings from an attitude of inner abundance and satisfaction. 

Reaction #2 "A Sabbatical? Wow, that was always my biggest dream!"

We are now dealing with a person who stands at the grave of their dreams and drags you to the cemetery without asking for your consent. This person remembers that her/she once had a similar dream, and that he/she declared it dead over the years and then buried it somewhere in the depths of his/her subconscious. The choice of the verb in past tense (it "was" a biggest dream, and not it "is" my biggest dream) also reveals that we are dealing with a tamed bird who has resigned itself to sitting in a cage forever. Even if the cage doors should open up by a happy coincidence, the bird has already forgotten that it has healthy wings and that it could fly away straight into the air here and now. What a tragedy.

Unfortunately, this bird has forgotten who it is. Only sometimes, when other birds land on his cage and chirp cheerful melodies from the big, wide, beautiful world, it remembers what it was like when it still could spread its wings and sail through the air itself. The doors to the cage may be wide open, maybe even other birds help it and open the door from the outside, but the little bird remains sitting sadly in his prison and cries after its dreams without noticing that it would have the opportunity to fly away and realize its dreams every single day! Out of habit, it remains in the cage and inwardly walks to the grave of his dreams, there it lays a few flowers, cries a few tears of self-pity and then remains in resignation, which has already become its best friend. Expressed somewhat theatrically, but this is exactly how it is.

Now take a deep breath.

My final words after this little excursion:

I understand that for many the question arises as to why you can choose to take a sabbatical, and I also think it's good that questions are asked, that discussions take place and that there is interest in the topic! Nevertheless, I am horrified at how unfree we are, that this question arises at all. In Scandinavian countries, a sabbatical is part of the good tone, one could also say that every child already knows the reasons why taking a sabbatical is a great idea. Reduced stress levels and improved mental health, more time for the most important people in your life, enjoyment of private passions, traveling around the world or focus on other heart projects beyond the job ... we all know exactly what makes us happy and what we wish to have more time for... we are all colorful people and SO MUCH MORE than just the roles written in our employment contracts... we are SO MUCH MORE and it is time for us to become aware of this right and responsibility towards ourselves and to shape a life that is in harmony with our individual nature.

Yes to ME

Personally, I have decided to take a sabbatical because I say YES to ME. Because I want to collect powerful memories that nourish me forever. Because I want to broaden my horizon. Because I want to allow my consciousness to mature in a systematic way. Because I am looking forward to the taste of Indian dishes. Because I want to do things for the very first time again. Because I want to surprise myself. Because I look forward to the influence of differently-thinking people. Because I feel like going to a country with sun and palm trees. Because I want to feel the Indian wind in my hair. Because I love adventures. Because this journey will make me grow. Because I'm worth it, that's exactly why I'm taking a Sabbatical.