The other day, Tara and I were joking about having a monster "to-do" list with every activity we want to do in our lives on it. So we would always feel like we had something to look forward to, we would have to keep putting things to do on our list. In relation to what we were talking about in class, this way you would ALWAYS be useful. I think it's almost a fear of people to have absolutely nothing to do. At least for me, while I do enjoy relaxing and doing virtually nothing from time to time, I wouldn't want to spend, say, my entire retirement sitting in a chair with nothing to do. I would go crazy. Because humans have the ability to think and reason, we also have the ability to be bored. My dog can sit in one spot all day, content. Most people cannot say the same.
People don't want to spend time thinking about what they have done in the past, they want to keep moving forward. I think, for the most part, people don't seek work because they want to feel useful, but because they are afraid of having nothing to do. Thoughts?
-Alexa
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I think I am physically incapable of having nothing to do. I agree, it's daunting to have a blank to-do list. A couple weekends ago, I purposefully left the weekend entirely free so that I could "relax" and get rid of my stress. I stayed home the entire weekend... but then got so fed up and restless that I didn't relax for even an hour (apart from sleeping). I can't imagine retirement. It seems like a vacation, but even vacations becomes work if vacation is extended too long because I'd constantly look for things to do. Your theory on retirement definitely has merit to it. Who would want to be consistently bored for the rest of his/her life?
ReplyDeleteI just remembered that quote "Work isn't fun; otherwise they wouldn't call it work." I guess that's why hobbies exist. Hobbies are entirely separate entities from work; hobbies are fun and work isn't, but both feel useful to the individual.
-- tori
I completely agree with Alexa's statement. I think that while everyone might claim that all that they really want out of life is to sit back and relax, in reality no one would be able to cope with the monotony of that lifestyle. Overall, it seems as though people are motivated by a fear that they won't leave their mark on the world, and so they strive to be of use in any way they can.
ReplyDelete-Tara
I think people like to be useful because being useful gives them a sense of purpose. If one does something useful, they feel like they are making some sort of impact on the world. Doing nothing or doing something futile seems somewhat like a failure to make an impact. I would guess people fear that if they don't do anything important, then they themselves aren't important. I've certainly felt that way at times. Maybe the desire to be useful spawns from a desire to live a life that is meaningful.
ReplyDeleteColin