Feelings can sometimes be so overpowering, they are stronger than my greater self. In the grand words of Einsein:

A human being is a part of a whole, called by us “universe”, a part limited in time and space He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest…a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness…

With that said, I am considering a trip to Amsterdam. This isn’t to fulfil some long withstanding dream of legal sedation. I just think its adorable.

I suppose I can blame Slate for this, an article by Jessica Olien painted a lovely picture of Dutch women:

The Dutch women around me take a lackadaisical approach to their careers. They work half days, meet their friends for coffee at 2 p.m., and pity their male colleagues who are stuck in the office all day…Less than 4 percent of women wish they had more working hours or increased responsibility in the workplace, and most refuse extended hours even when the opportunity for advancement arises.

Okay! If I didn’t live in the U.S., I wouldn’t work very much either! Why would I if my friends were all waiting for me at the cafe? I wouldn’t need to write this blog if I could talk about the things I wanted to at the same time every day! I’ve only been part of the 9-5 labor force for about a year now and I have to say, I don’t necessarily like where this is going. I’ve already gotten two raises. Got a bigger desk and more responsibility, but I see that my propensity for contentment is decreasing as my income and material compensation increase.

It’s hard not to wonder: Have we gotten it all wrong? In the United States, the race for equality has gone mostly in one direction. Women want to shatter the glass ceiling, reach the top spots in the hierarchy, and earn the same respect and salaries as men do. But perhaps this situation is setting us up for a world in which none of us is having any fun. After all, studies of female happiness in the U.S. find that even as our options have increased and we have become financially more independent than in any previous time in our history, American women as a whole are not getting any happier. If anything, the studies show that we are emotionally less well-off than we were before. Wasn’t the whole point of the fight for equality in the workplace to improve our wellbeing?

Going to an all girls school has beaten any inclination to protect women’s rights RIGHT out of me. You would think it should do the opposite…

Anyway, the Netherlands is where its at.