Why Killing Time Isn’t a Sin

[Viva_La_Revolution]

snip..
It might seem smart and productive to not let a single minute go to waste (they’re precious, after all), but let’s take a step back to look at the big picture.

Is this what our lives are to be? A non-stop stream of productive tasks? A life-long work day? A computer program optimized for productivity and efficiency? A cog in a machine?

What about joy? What about the sensory pleasure of lying in the grass with the sun shining on our closed eyes? What about the beauty of a nap while on the train? How about reading a novel for the sheer exhilaration of it, not to better yourself? What about spending time with someone for the love of being with someone, of making a genuine human connection that is unencumbered by productive purpose, unburdened by goals.

more..
http://zenhabits.net/kill-time/?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

[chervilant]

1. Can you say "Protestant Work Ethic"?

I have been un- or under-employed for the past five years. I am currently living with a friend, who--having offered me her spare bedroom to stave off certain homelessness--routinely snarks about me "doing nothing all day" while she works her ass off. The last time she said some variation of this insult, I looked at her and replied, "I would give eye teeth to have a job right now!" She hasn't snarked at me since.

I keep reminding my friends and fellow activists that we now live in exponential times. This temporally challenging new paradigm means that we are deluged with visual and auditory stimuli from the time we wake up until we pass out each night from sheer exhaustion. Virtually ALL of our social constructs—but most particularly our parenting strategies and our system of public education—do not reflect this ginormous socio-cultural change. Add to that the fact that our global economy now exemplifies the worst of human traits, and I have to assert that our species is at an evolutionary crossroads.

I sure hope enough of us choose to be the change we hope to see in this world. I suspect that our present day “road less traveled” actually represents an evolutionary cul-de-sac abutting a bottomless abyss. If we are indeed too stupid a species to survive our own hubris, I certainly hope we haven’t inflicted any lasting damage on our amazing planet.

[alterfurz]

2. The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. -- Bertrand Russell