The Art of Doing Nothing

Jace

Jace

Well-known Member
Taking time to do nothing is the new cool thing
for three very good reasons:
1. Technology is driving us to distraction,
a mild word to describe it's impact on us.
2. Most of us are "sick and tired of having to cram more into our already busy lives.
3. There's all the stress that surrounds us very day, along with the stuff we inflict on ourselves.

Take a break.

Start by doing a little nothing , if only for 5 minutes.

Practice spending time in silence.

Can you/ do you....?
 

Last edited:
Jace said:
Taking time to do nothing is the new cool thing
for three very good reasons:
1. Technology is driving us to distraction,
a mild word to describe it's impact on us.
2. Most of us are "sick and tired of having to cram more into our already busy lives.
3. There's all the stress that surrounds us very day, along with the stuff we inflict on ourselves.

Take a break.

Start by dong a little nothing , if only for 5 minutes.

Practice spending time in silence.

Can you/ do you....?
Click to expand...
Starting with just 5 minutes ...great advice, especially for those who might find it difficult to just "be". Sometimes it's hard to do nothing but I nailed it on Wednesday. LOL :D
 

Well I decided to try this and this is how it turned out. Sat on the sofa, first minute went well, then I noticed the bag of chips left on the counter, just a couple while I relaxed doing nothing.

Then I looked at the books on the coffee table and started thinking about whether they were overdue or not, grabbed my phone, logged into the library, two days to go.....whew!

I blame the cat for the rest of it, he decided that doing nothing was doing nothing for him.....must pat cat or else....end of doing nothing.

I tried Jace, I really tried.
 
Jace said:
Start by doing a little nothing , if only for 5 minutes.

Practice spending time in silence.

Can you/ do you....?
Click to expand...
I wrote a little something on that;


For many of my first years, aside from play, I could be found with a blank stare on my face.

My thought pattern count, of over, say, 2-3 hours would be the grand total of minus zero.

Not even day dreaming, just a nil undefinable gaze of inert mental process.

It wasn’t until many years later (six decades to be exact), that I actually became aware enough to put my non thoughts into words.

I, as many, became busy with life.
But now have come somewhat full circle.

Not that I sit with ‘the stares’, fixated on absolutely nothing.
But I now enjoy removing all busy thoughts, and all the hectic little things that are forever emerging,
getting in the way of a serene view of our wonderful reality, and center on the intangible zephyr of existence.

I simply call it ‘The Happiness of Being’.
 
Lee said:
Well I decided to try this and this is how it turned out. Sat on the sofa, first minute went well, then I noticed the bag of chips left on the counter, just a couple while I relaxed doing nothing.

Then I looked at the books on the coffee table and started thinking about whether they were overdue or not, grabbed my phone, logged into the library, two days to go.....whew!

I blame the cat for the rest of it, he decided that doing nothing was doing nothing for him.....must pat cat or else....end of doing nothing.

I tried Jace, I really tried.
Click to expand...
we're just too alike in that sense... when I say I'm 'doing nothing'... that usually means several things throughout the day... which amount in my mind to nothing.. but in fact is quite a lot when I add it up.....when I say I've had a busy day, it's usually what people take a week to do..
 
The Art of Doing Nothing
Click to expand...

Wu wei means – in Chinese – non-doing or 'doing nothing'. It sounds like a pleasant invitation to relax or worse, fall into laziness or apathy. Yet this concept is key to the noblest kind of action according to the philosophy of Daoism – and is at the heart of what it means to follow Dao or The Way.
 

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