THE BEAUTY OF GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS OR “MORAMORA”

Time has always been a topic in the center of scientific debates. Its definition and function vary from being a metric for some calculus relative to motions in physics, to a marker to sort data for research and tests in biology. For the Malagasy community, it is a moment to share with our loved ones. Time wears many hats, but the way we know it best is through the capitalist lens: "time is money."

ㅤㅤㅤ Time has no price tag. What we actually sell is the work we do in a certain amount of time. Our current lifestyle transformed the metric into a full currency: online gurus are promoting the "best way to maximise our time," recruiters are chasing after the candidates with the longest work experience, students are chasing after the shortest way to graduate with all internships included. The new winning way of living life is to achieve lifetime goals as fast as possible.

–Do we really maximise our time?

ㅤㅤㅤThe instinctual answer would be yes. We save a lot of time on many mundane aspects of our lives: commuting, eating, informing ourselves, etc… The idea of waking up in the morning to go to the fields to fetch our own cereals or milk cows ourselves would not even make sense to an average GenAlpha. This convenience feels comfortable, almost evident.

ㅤㅤㅤFrom our birth to our graduation, we plan and anticipate ahead of us because our brains have that ability– it might even be one of the biggest traits that distinguish us from other mammals and species. We humans also knew how to bypass the weakness of our bodies by bending minerals to do it for us: "Technology!" The brightest of us created ways to conserve food, cook it, transport it, provide light in the dark and much more. Humanity rushed through a few centuries worth of discoveries, because time is a valuable asset that needs to be maximised.

ㅤㅤㅤHowever, it might not be the best way to live our life because by going for simultaneous results, we trade longevity with quickness. This is what the new generation experiences with Artificial.Intelligences, TikTok and fast fashion. A new trend appears faster than the precedent, only lasting a few months before getting replaced. The contents and their attention span are matching in shortness. We do not let time flow its course as there are no longer dedicated spaces specifically for children or teenagers as every online content gets mushed in one big pot where every age range has to simultaneously enjoy the same entertainment. Little girls are now rushing to Sephora to buy anti-aging creams and ten-step skincare products. Little boys are trading their video games for forums on crypto investments. By getting rid of the timeframe, we get rid of rites of passages, but also the enjoyment of discovering them each step of the way.

ㅤㅤㅤExpectations are unfortunately often accompanied by frustration, stress and pressure. For some, these feelings can be a motivation to push through and reach the goals they set. For others, they end up falling out of love with what they do. We are not all alike however, it is a consensus that the common life experience is difficult and unsustainable… Due to the blur between our professional lives and daily lives, many are overworking themselves even during dedicated free time. To the point where many are monetising their Hobbies to optimise their time.

ㅤㅤㅤIf burning out early is the price to pay, what does time management actually mean?–

ㅤㅤㅤMy mother for one, is a born hustler who has always optimised every single part of her day. She works a 9 to 5, but also brings home work and when she has “free time,” she bakes pastries– not for herself as sweet treats but to sell them afterwards. She is one of these people who dread the day they finally retire instead of celebrating it. Although she got an early breast cancer diagnosis and an infarctus due to her high cortisol level, she did not slow down because her biggest fear was not to use all of her time efficiently.

ㅤㅤㅤLife as we conceptualise it now is not that different from how our distant ancestors’. The modern human tends to believe that an average person from the Middle-Ages is far too stupid to adapt to our new high tech world. In reality, it would take hundreds of thousands of years for species to evolve. There is therefore no virtual difference between someone's brain from three thousand years ago and a brain now– apart from minor differences caused by the environment. The idea that the people who are not up to date with technology are intellectually inferior is also used against the Global South. In which, communities replace the rush— we go Moramora.

ㅤㅤㅤValues are pillars of society that vary depending on the regions of the world we are in. One of these social values in Madagascar is called "Moramora," pronounced /murªmurª/ from the Malagasy word mora or easy in English. For non-Malagasy this phrase could translate to taking things easy, also comparable to the popular Swahili expression: Hakuna Matata.

ㅤㅤㅤThe principle is similar: the acceptance of life as it flows. It is about going through life while enjoying the time it takes. The day starts very early for an average Malagasy, usually at the cracking of dawn when the crickets are singing. Everyone slowly starts grooming themselves, mothers braid their daughters as a beauty ritual and a bonding time. We all participate in preparing the breakfast, usually an assortment of rice based pastries: mofo gasy, ramanonaka we buy at the small shops in the corner of a street, a citronella infusion and a rice porridge. All while enjoying a nice conversation to start the morning in a good mood.

ㅤㅤㅤIt is not rare for visiting tourists to get a culture shock when arriving in Madagascar. The capitalist city of Antananarivo is a small hub teeming with a slow moving pace. The very first experience after landing and passing the border checks is the “embouteillages”– a heavy traffic that can last hours. If you make plans by the hour, be prepared to either push it or cancel a few of them. It most likely sounds very inconvenient or frustrating for those who were socialised with a different conception of time–

ㅤㅤㅤ Some locals have been exclusively using the term in a pejorative way as well. Following colonial times, the French occupation has been calling them lazy or unwilling to work because of their use of their schedule. It was of course an excuse for the colonisers to force Malagasy minds to submit to forced labors they were unwilling to do themselves. The negative interpretation has nonetheless lasted for generations; "Moramora is for the lazy people who do not want to hustle" my mom told me one day as we were walking through a market where people were taking their time in between purchases.ㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤThere are less monetary transactions being made in a market than human exchanges. Historically, it has always been a hub where people would meet to share small talks or gossip of all kinds. It was even common for bachelors to stick a comb in their hair to show their unmarried status and to find potential marriage prospects. In short, the market was a place of life and exchange, not just for cold transactions, which it has been at some point in time all over the world. I fear that in Madagascar it could slowly become purely commercial.ㅤㅤㅤ

ㅤㅤㅤThe real luxury in modern days is to have a day off or to sit around, not contributing to the capitalist machine. We either consume or do the labor that is being consumed by someone else. The concept of Moramora in this case is not about slowing down and being unproductive. It is about taking the right amount of time to assess, process and execute a task. Instead of asking ChatGPT for a quick– sometimes unreliable answer, we would turn to well written articles by human experts. It does take more time and effort but develop more patience, more care in what we do as we do it.

ㅤㅤㅤTaking things faster is rewarding for a short dopamine shot. It is a reward in an isolated moment whereas the satisfaction of going through life, making the necessary amount of mistakes without worrying about running out of time, achieving lifetime goals is most likely the healthier alternative. For our modern perception, that might sound slightly utopic or even delusional– as the youngsters would say, but it is entirely feasible.

ㅤㅤㅤ Earlier I talked about the frustration some people might experience when their plans have to change because of scheduling issues. The Malagasy spirit– or the locals' resourcefulness, is to find a way to make up for the situation. During the heavy traffic we spend the time stuck in the bus or the car to converse with friends to share our snacks, to sing or dance– not as a distraction or a way to “optimize time,” but because our life does not stop when the engines do. On the streets, wherever you go, there will always be music and food.

ㅤㅤ ㅤWe can factually compensate for the time we would spend enjoying life with our the team roster. The more the merrier! If we made sure to educate, help and form people, we would maximize the number of qualified workers instead of exploiting a small number to abandon the rest. We cheated biology by creating machines who work for us, but we need to remember that our biggest strength is still our solidarity. Even if Madagascar is a developing country with lack of material resources, people manage to make their best out of what they have. There are no better mechanics in the world than three random Malagasy guys at a Vulca (the local repair shops) who have no appropriate spare parts, but will create it for you. The resilience in taking extra time and more collective efforts makes the resolution of the issue even more enjoyable.

ㅤㅤㅤMoramora means taking the time to make things right so that everybody can have a chance of a shot. A society where we could depend on one another without being entirely reliant on an organism. It should not take us overwhelming entertainment to sustain our stability and happiness. Walking around with friends, stopping at a shop for an hour or two to exchange with strangers, building a community, these are things we used to do– and still do from time to time.

ㅤㅤㅤIt is all about enjoying the little things, as well as viewing the issues as a part of the process instead of a deal breaking moment. Very often do we see a cancelled plan, rejections or even small accidents as a fatality. Life is harsh, especially in a struggling country like my motherland. A big majority of the population does not have a 24/7 access to electricity or running water, so they have watermen (men who fetch water in gallons in communal fountains) and mutual help with people taking turns to go where they have electricity. When there is a will there is a way!

ㅤㅤㅤMoramora is about sharing the common experience with others, to find the beauty in that motion. Life is meant to be lived and not briefly experienced. It is a profoundly human experience to connect with one another and to value our mutual respect. Finding a long-term relationship or a career are big decisions that can last a lifetime. The trial and fail rate should not be time constricted. Technology should match our human pace instead of making us match it. Let us all slow down to get to know one another.

ㅤㅤㅤIf you dear readers have the means or the possibility to one day travel to Madagascar the island of Moramora, please do. You will discover a new way of living that you would have never experienced before.