The difficult task of doing nothing

Recently, I've been thinking a lot about my prayer life and how I can improve it. Relatedly, I've also been thinking about productivity. One common factor that connects both these trains of thought is the idea of doing nothing. Today, I found this website while reading the internet: http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/. If you visit this site, you get a sea view and a timer counting down two minutes in which you should (ideally) relax, listen to the waves and do nothing. If you move your mouse or press a key, the timer starts over.

I decided to try this seriously today for a number of reasons. Firstly, I wanted to reassure myself that it would be easy - of course I can sit on my own in silence for two minutes, I thought! Secondly, I was curious to test out something that my Dad said to me yesterday - that many people are most afraid of silence. When I did actually try it therefore, I was (predictably) surprised at how bad I was! I tried the test in a public library, and I kept feeling self-conscious, as if people could tell that I wasn't working or checking Facebook like a normal person. I cheated and checked my phone a couple of times. Once when my time was nearly up, some of my fellow students walked past and almost instinctively, I pressed Alt-Tab... only to be taken back to the start of my two minutes. The time spent in silence felt incredibly long and uncomfortable - I was watching the clock tick down the last 20 seconds, and I felt like I didn't deserve it when I made it to the end and the screen said 'well done'.

If I can't even spend two minutes of my time in silence, how will I ever find the time to listen to God? How will I create the mental space to think about my actions, how they impact others, and how I can be a better person? Am I really afraid of spending time with myself, in my own head, with only my own thoughts and feelings and nothing to distract me?

If you're feeling adventurous, try the two minute test and see what you think!

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