While I mostly agree with your comments, there are certainly cultures that would be more prone to this overloading than others (namely, industrialized Western society.) "I'm sure hunter-gatherers had the same desire to stay on top of everything in the forest" contains a bit of naive realism - assuming that other cultures view the world the same way ours does. Hunter-gatherers actually have a very easygoing lifestyle, with much less time per day spent laboring or attaining food than in industrialized or agricultural societies! I remember seeing an anthropological video about the Mbuti Pygmies of the Ituri Rain Forest (a present-day foraging people)... the Mbuti had commented that the forest was a sheltering friend or protector, but the outsiders from "modern" society who inhabited other parts of the forest saw it as an enemy, something to be frightened of and cut down. Clearly there is a difference in how these two groups viewed their world. The Mbuti did not have a controlling world view, felt no need to "dominate" or "be on top of things" - these are Western expressions, where we feel the need to control our surroundings and know everything.
So while overloading may be nothing new in United States or industrialized Western cultures, please don't assume this is something that is common to the entire world.;)
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While I mostly agree with your comments, there are certainly cultures that would be more prone to this overloading than others (namely, industrialized Western society.) "I'm sure hunter-gatherers had the same desire to stay on top of everything in the forest" contains a bit of naive realism - assuming that other cultures view the world the same way ours does. Hunter-gatherers actually have a very easygoing lifestyle, with much less time per day spent laboring or attaining food than in industrialized or agricultural societies! I remember seeing an anthropological video about the Mbuti Pygmies of the Ituri Rain Forest (a present-day foraging people)... the Mbuti had commented that the forest was a sheltering friend or protector, but the outsiders from "modern" society who inhabited other parts of the forest saw it as an enemy, something to be frightened of and cut down. Clearly there is a difference in how these two groups viewed their world. The Mbuti did not have a controlling world view, felt no need to "dominate" or "be on top of things" - these are Western expressions, where we feel the need to control our surroundings and know everything. So while overloading may be nothing new in United States or industrialized Western cultures, please don't assume this is something that is common to the entire world. ;)