Eyes closed, thoughts wander by, an idea connects…
Whether returning from vacation, waking from a nap, or riding a single deep breath’s trailing exhale — energy flows, tensions release tensions, and ideas form from what seemed to be nothing.
Doing nothing can of course be a good thing. While it may even be a trope by now, I wonder, what is nothing?
There are practical parallels to nothing.
A closet, for example, when overfilled makes getting to things difficult. What we can get to is either wrinkled or just in front. Meanwhile, when there’s empty space, one supposed form of nothing, getting to what we want becomes much easier.
There must be a parallel to engaging our lives, work, and play.
But, What Is It to “Do Nothing?”
Turning to what may be our resident experts, teenagers, we hear with rare exception, in response to what they’ve done with their day,
“Nothing.”
But nothing cannot simply be staring at a wall. Even sleep has active components.
So I ask,
“What does doing nothing look like?”
“I’m on my phone,” “playing games,” “talking to friends,”…
Asking further eventually reveals worlds of connection, creativity, music, art, humor, and more.
Apparently, even nothing is something.
Still, what then is “nothing”?
Is it a sense of release from responsibility? A responsibility to others? from ourselves? Could anything beyond responsibility be just one of a myriad species of Nothing?
A Practice
What if we make nothing an art form or a path of mastery? Such a practice must be a rhythm of structure and a lack thereof. Some even find it useful to schedule unstructured time, particularly as the weights of adulting accrue.
But then, how much is too much Nothing?
Is it when we feel good and ready to do Something? Is it when the world demands Something from us? Is it only when we parent ourselves through a proxy of lists, calendars, and timers to say, “That’s enough for now”?
An Approach
Personally, I add the word “Leisure” as a deliberate part of my daily visits. (See below) That Nothing may last a few minutes or hours. But once a day, I must acknowledge to myself, this is my time.
Is that it then? Is Nothing when I have the sense that I own this moment of time?
Whatever it is, when I cannot make it to Nothing, my day feels crowded, strained, or perhaps better said, unhealthy.
Nothing, in this way, is both a vital resource and a useful measure. Somewhere, I need my daily dose of Vitamin Nothing.
– Kourosh
PS – My daily set of visits is what I refer to as my “guide”. I haven’t written much on it outside of the Waves of Focus where it stands as a central concept, but you can get a bit from here: A Guide’s Strength
PPS Today’s post was inspired by this Reddit Post: Remember, doing nothing is also productive.
