A Meander Through the much Maligned Act of "Doing Nothing"

 "Christopher Robin, what exactly is doing nothing?" Pooh asked

"Well I'm told it means going along, listening to all the things you can't hear and not bothering." 

We live in this world where "industry," productivity and staying busy are regarded as the highest virtues of living. People talk about "The Protestant Work Ethic" and even if some claim that things have changed, we still tend to look sideways at those whose lives are not consumed by ambition and the quest for success and label them "underachievers" and slackers.

It's peaceful to look at trees...

Even when we are not working, so many are frantically engaged in something designed to fill every conceivable waking moment with doings: clubs, events, meetings, hobbies, courses, classes.

Whatever happened to just sitting still; to "idling?"

Different Kinds of Nothing

Is "Nothing" really such a bad thing?

I occasionally consider the possibility that we start out biased against nothing from childhood, because we use "nothing" as the universal excuse to get off the hook when doing something other than what we are "supposed to" do.

I'm sure most people remember this scenario: You're in your room doing something your parents would definitely not want to you do...

Mom: "It's very quiet in there. What are you doing?"

Me: "Nothing...."

Of course, we weren't doing nothing at all... we were probably using our chemistry set to try to create rocket propellant. 

Then again, "nothing" is also associated with certain activities people might engage in in the bathroom...

But that's not the "nothing" I'm talking about, here.

I'm talking about the "nothing" of non-doing.

Are we Human BE-ings or Human DO-ings?

I'll be the first to admit that I have lived most of my life under the spectre of being perceived both "lazy" and an underachiever.

I have always been much better at simply being, than at doing. There just were never that many things I wanted to do, and the notion of "work" never meant anything more than a means to fund the basics of life so I could "be."

A couple of days ago, I wrote a piece about the way FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) seems to dominate many people's lives. After publishing that, I spent quite a while considering the fact that I have never really felt afraid that I was missing out on something.

And I have never felt afraid that I was somehow "missing out on the fullness of life" if I didn't make sure that I was using every waking moment for "something." Even as a kid, I could be left alone for hours and never give a moment's thought to the possibility that "my friends might be doing something fun without me."

Nothing... and Stress

I have previously mentioned this in passing, but I find it ironic that so many get all wrapped up in doing — to such a degree they suffer from perpetual stress... and then pay good money to attend meditation retreats where they learn how to essentially "do nothing."

Now don't get me wrong here — I'm not suggesting that we need to become a world of career idlers; I'm merely suggesting that there has to be a balance. "Doing nothing" isn't a bad thing, and it doesn't make you a bad or lazy person. 

Personally, I have always felt very content sitting in our back yard watching leaves in the breeze, watching the birds fly by; sitting on the beach watching the seagulls and the waves... and not "making" or "doing" a damn thing... for hours on end!

Which leads me to the final point: that "idling" has never bored me. 

People say things like "you must be very bored!" but quite the contrary is true. My life feels equally full when doing nothing and doing something.

How about YOU? Are you generally an idler or a busy bee? Is the idea of "doing nothing" welcome to you, or does it make you feel edgy or anxious? If you generally feel compelled to "stay busy," what do you fear will happen if there were nothing to "do?" If you try to stay busy, are all the things you do an authentic representation of things you truly want? Or are they just there to keep you from being idle? Leave a comment-- share your experiences-- be part of the conversation!

created by @zord189

(As usual, all text and images by the author, unless otherwise credited. This is original content, created expressly for Steemit)
Created at 180507 16:27 PDT