-- George Macdonald
We work our asses off. Many of us put in way more than 40 hours a week. And to what avail? So we can buy more fast food, McMansions, overpriced cars and useless crap from China?
Work and idleness can both be sacred when each is undertaken at the the right time and kept in the proper balance. Work is not intrinsically more sacred than idleness, it's just different. Work exercises the mind and body. Idleness nourishes the soul. Doing nothing is, in and of itself, something that is very important to do.
And yet, as George so aptly points out, we neglect relaxation and overemphasize action, movement, and busyness. Doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing according to an unspoken assumption in our culture. So unspoken in fact that we hardly ever question it.
Even vacations are packed with activities -- whether at Disney World, on a cruise, or touring Europe, it's all about how much you can see and do. Hardly anyone, when asked what they're going to do on their vacation responds with "lay back and groove."
A case could easily be made that much of our non-stop activity is more addictive than pleasurable. We do, do, do, and go, go, go because we don't know how not to.
So, today's assignment is simple -- don't just do something, sit there. While away a few hours floating free as a feather in the breeze. Don't plan your activity, just relax and let time unwind. Learn to love leisure, and you'll find you truly can get something out of nothing.
No comments:
Post a Comment