November 19, 2019

Why is doing nothing so hard?

How long can you sit with your eyes closed and do nothing? 1 minute? 2 minutes? 30 minutes? Why is it so difficult to do nothing? Doing nothing should be the ultimate, shouldn’t it? Isn’t that what’s at the bottom of the ‘more efficiency hyper-capitalism’ well? What we get to do when we have enough money and no debt? We wouldn’t have to go anywhere, think about anything, and we conserve plenty of energy. We could do whatever we want, which, I hear, is nothing. Doing nothing is the opposite of work. Isn’t it? I’ve heard many people say that when they retire, they’ll do ‘nothing’. But having watched my parents’ (and their friends) go through that, it’s never true.

Nothing makes us panic.

Doing nothing is so hard, that doing anything is a better alternative. Scrolling through Instagram or Facebook or Twitter. Something. Watching endless series on Netflix or YouTube. Something. Refreshing email. Something. Or is it?

If we need to do something to save us from nothing, the question becomes what’s the best type of something we can do?

Other observations
November 5, 2024

Consistent or resistant

Is my aversion to change about my wanting to be consistent? Or, am I actually being resistant and am I losing something because of that?

October 22, 2024

Critically unacclaimed

What do reviews really tell us about the work? Does it matter who’s reviewing?

October 15, 2024

Proper technique

If I’m learning a new art form, do I focus on technical correctness first or building an emotional connection with the medium?

October 8, 2024

The importance of mess

Physical art materials are messy and inconvenient. But isn’t that the point?

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