Practice the fine art of doing absolutely nothing!

[Jerome]

Very satisfying it is and much enjoyable when learned, the noble art of doing absolutely nothing.
There is no meaning, no purpose in all this life, in this Chaos, unless- of course, you suppose one, which is recommended some of the time. But not most of the time or always I would say- ...

Especially in the Anglo-Saxon and Germanic countries I have noticed this sad anal-retentive compulsion towards productiveness, that self-content, protestant, philistine ethic. Idleness is looked down on and elegance suffers. Everything must be an effort everyone has to give his best or fake to do so to gain some small material advantage over others. Productiveness furthers society- it generates a bad conscious when neglected.
Even practitioners of all the arts are naturally influenced by that thinking: you "ought to" strive for this and that and do your exercises, manage and sell yourself, or improve yourself 100 times a day. While I don't support all-out laziness (only secretly) I still think that there's a lack of leisurely nonchalance (a noble trait) which is Not ashamed of itself but says when asked about work, not because it's true, but simply for effect: Work? Good god no, but I have KNOWN of people who do.

"What's your job?"- "I'm a eunuch, a pine needle-counter, I'm mentally ill, a human, an ape, a clerk, a president, a bum...." Work reduces man to a machine- a job reduces a person to a word.
Sit in a cafÃ

and watch the people run around, ostensibly linger around in luxury, be a wastrel (there are too few nowadays), bathe in the envious looks, the provincial mentality of the slaves of honest toil, shock with your unconventionality, charm with your bored look, your artistic demeanour, your well-cut clothes- throw away telephone bills and bank account information-leaflets, pretend to be at a loss when it comes to any practical topics like car repairs, demon-summoning or bargain sales- spurn fitness clubs, tourists and parvenus---then go back to your job and do it most diligently! (You little human hypocrite! lol...)

 

[LabelKing]

Leisure is the best job.

 

[HORNS]

My vacation to Negril, Jamaica changed my life. I learned the value of doing nothing there. Powerful herbs and fungi facilitated this education while there, but it has stuck with me and made my quality of life much, much better.

 

[ccc123]

A private beach in Positano Italy, just me my wife the sun, water and sand did nothing for two weeks! that showed me a little more about living!

 

[alliswell]

But this was a reward for doing a lot beforehand, I suppose? If you take your vacation leisure back to your work life, you won't get to go on vacation again so soon, I presume.

 

[lefty]

The first and last word on being idle:

Jerome K. Jerome's Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow.

http://www.jeromekjerome.com/

lefty

 

[john_jsr]

Hi,

I think this is the most difficult thing to do & i am trying continuously to do this thing with my best efforts but if i can't get succeed then i go for pop art but nothing more. I love to do nothing as usual.

If you have any idea that how can i stop me from doing anything then you are welcome.

Thanks

Adma

 

[Doc4]

"Practice the fine art of doing absolutely nothing!" What, I have to practice this? Sounds like too much work to me.

 

[centalones]

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Leisure is the best job.
Yes, but tedium is the worst pain, something that doing nothing is sure to lead to.

 

[chas]

"It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. There is no fun in doing nothing when you have nothing to do. Wasting time is merely an occupation then, and a most exhausting one. Idleness, like kisses, to be sweet must be stolen."

Jerome K. Jerome

 

[Jerome]

^ haha, certainly true- idleness is just so more sweeter if something to-do/work threatens to destroy it.

No, but this "doing nothing" and leisure-stuff just has so many connotations and meanings some of which were already mentioned by you all.

Originally Posted by letmebefell

But this was a reward for doing a lot beforehand, I suppose? If you take your vacation leisure back to your work life, you won't get to go on vacation again so soon, I presume.
In continuation of what the poster HORNS wrote one means of applying that stuff in daily life would be to take it in its most literal meaning: try for example following: set an alarm for five or ten minutes then sit or lie down in a comfy position (dont fall asleep!) and simply....do nothing - just be there, and -more importantly- also do not think about anything. Try this out! Theres a high chance that you'll feel more relaxed, refreshed even happy thereafter- at least thats what I have experienced...(if any of you is interested in this more "esoteric" side we can discuss that too- good stuff can e.g. be found in some Taoist writings like the Zhuangzi, or in Zen).

Originally Posted by LabelKing

Leisure is the best job.
Exactly!- and werent also our modern sciences- nay our whole civilisations- conditioned by leisure itself? By ppl who had leisure and thereby could think about such things as philosophy, astronomy and mathematics? From the Greek scholars (mostly nobles and full citizens (full citizens of Athens like Socrates was, were an elite minority of about 8-10% of the populace)- to Renaissance idlers, up to those Enlightenment heinis who created their theories under the auspices of the Kings of France, or look at guys like Buddha who was a bored prince or Marx who was some sort of phantastic idealist philosopher with crazy theories....etc etc- even the sober, buccolic Romans' word for leisure described a natural, the primal, basic state (otium); yet "work" was nothing more than a simple negation- a derivative of former (neg-otium)...and so on and forth..

(of course today we have nearly deified the ethics of the merchant- and as practical and useful as it may be in certain aspects it also has its obvious drawbacks.)

 

[johnapril]

Indifference to anything but your canvas.
The ability to work like a locomotive.
An iron will.

-What You Need for Painting, Raymond Carver

 

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by centalones

Yes, but tedium is the worst pain, something that doing nothing is sure to lead to.
I think many of the moderns (or commoners- lets be frank) cannot even handle leisure- or the responsibility of "having nothing to do". Look at some so called celebs or stars who flee into drugs or ridiculous sects or esoteric cults (that they dont understand themselves)- out of sheer ennui. But in the end they still encounter this great vacuum (if they would have learned to e.g. sit themselves quitely down and enjoy a good book or the sciences- whether they be in their flat in Sheffield or on their private tropical island- they wouldnt need to struggle around that much. Same with even very successful managers: they work and work and accumulate money for the sake of accumulation itself- which is a perversion- and cant stop anymore- they have no purpose: but greed and the erasure of boredom...yet the noble and sophisticated man will have time enough to think about things like furthering his advancement in art or the sciences- not on a base of "efficiency" or because he has to "publish or perish" but because of the enjoyment of his own mind and a genuine interest in the world or nature, itself. I say- its no shame to have to work for ones physical sustenance, this is natural and quite normal- but most ppl have been "conditioned" in such a way that they cannot be in-dependent from the social structures, and their values anymore...or lets say: are afraid to be- they cannot take on that "responsibility" of enjoying the simple things, being in the present of the moment all by themselves!

 

[Jerome]

Originally Posted by johnapril

Indifference to anything but your canvas.
The ability to work like a locomotive.
An iron will.

-What You Need for Painting, Raymond Carver
A great quote- and true.

 

[Piobaire]

Jerome:

It must be interesting to be you. Take that however you wish as I am a mere commoner, to be frank, and not a member of the upper class or royalty as you surely must be, given your comments.