Part 2/8:
Berkman illustrates the passing weeks of our lives as glass jars on a conveyor belt. As each jar passes, there's a compelling urge to fill it—social obligations, work responsibilities, personal ambitions. Filling each jar offers a sense of purpose, yet when many remain unfilled, feelings of wasted potential arise. This cycle cultivates a relentless pressure, where individuals often overload themselves, intertwining their tasks and bucket list aspirations like pebbles and rocks cluttering a mental factory. Such overwhelm leads to a persistent state of anxiety—a phenomenon Berkman terms existential overwhelm.