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Reader question: Please explain “rat race” in this: They’re tired of the rat race and are now back to farming. My comments: In other words, they’re tired of the hectic pace of life in the city, and have returned to their roots in the country. I have a friend who has done exactly that. Having made it in the city (i.e. have made a lot of dough), he is now back to farming in the countryside, growing his own food and vegetables. Now in his early 50s, he said he can no longer stand the traffic, the hustle and bustle of the city and are now enjoying being a farmer again. Life sure is a circle, finding people returning to whence they come. Oh, the rat race. As you may guess, the rat race is a term descriptive of the fast pace of the competitive city life, especially in major cities. In small cities in China, the pace is OK. Office holders still talk of a leisurely existence, going to a meeting or two sometimes but generally having little to do. No pressure. At all. Unlike in the big city where office holders sometimes say they’re either in a meeting or on the way to one. If not involved in meetings, they’re otherwise fully occupied with some kind of business, or busy-ness in general. Whatever it is, people in the city are always on the move, trying to get ahead, trying to make it big, i.e. to succeed. In short, they have too many things to do and therefore finding themselves running from place to place all the time. | 
