Not doing anything is much preferred to doing something harmful. However, sometimes the hardest thing to do is nothing.
There is a trend in certain circles to "appear to be doing something" at all times because it is thought that doing anything is better than doing nothing.
Or some think that one must say something, even when there is nothing to be said.
I try to limit the harm I do by not only not buying anything, but by resisting the urge to feel like I must "do something" in every situation.
Sometimes the best thing to do is not do anything.
Today I am not buying anything, and I am not doing anything.
It is better to not do anything and be thought a fool, than to do something obnoxious and remove all doubt.
Yes, it seems busyness is held up as some sort of virtue in our society. That the busier you are, the more "important" or "worthy" you are as a person.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of an anecdote of the philosopher Diogenes:
"Once, when the city of Corinth heard news that they were soon to be under attack, the citizens went into a panic and began preparing for the coming battle. Diogenes, oblivious as to what all the fuss was about, began rolling his pithos, or tub, up and down a hill. Someone asked why he was performing such a pointless task, to which he replied: “Just to make myself look as busy as the rest of you.”
Busyness as existential reassurance - the belief that being in a perpetual state of busyness proves your life is not meaningless.
ReplyDelete