Life Doing Nothing

byDonHawkins

111 followers

2 years ago

Is it possible to do nothing? I used to think that sleeping was doing nothing. I think my cats would disagree. I used to feel sorry for them, because they spent most of their lives sleeping. Doing nothing. I know people who believe that thinking is doing nothing. Actually, doing nothing is difficult. Over the years my definition of “doing something” has changed. My cats have convinced me that sleeping is productive activity. I agree the world situation might be better if everyone were well rested. I would have never thought that I would lose an argument to a cat.

Maybe this whole question has arisen, because I’m in doubt about this thing called “doing.” I first encountered it as a young man when my father asked me what I was going to “do” with my life. Now, at 72 years (my father was younger when he proposed the question) I can see its suspicious ambiguity. I’m not now sure how he was using the word. At 72 years, at least, the word “do” is full of rich and dangerous possibilities. But at 16 years, its meaning was obvious. So I explained to my father in considerable detail my life’s plans. He politely listened without a word until I was finished. Then he calmly said, “You’re going to have a hard life.” He was right.

At the time no red flags went up for me. In fact, the possibilities of a hard life seemed romantic. At the time, I didn’t know what life does to one. Looking back, I can see my father was very aware. Let’s just say one becomes disciplined by this process of living. As one ages, the possibilities one can envision become distressingly more realistic. The price of their failure increases, and their future appears more dangerous. At 16 years, life doesn’t feel like this. Life is all about not knowing the game but playing it anyway. That’s why we who are still engaged are called players. It’s interesting that their is something called “doing nothing.”