I was doing some thinking and came up with the idea that so many of today's problems is the lack of patience found in today's western culture. Everything must be done quicker, faster, more, more.
Stress, fast-food, weight gains, bad TV, internet porn, and 10,000 more problems in this world are due to the consumers learned response to want more, faster. (I'd give more examples but I don't have time).
Do you think this affects you? Try an experiment.
Imagine yourself sitting in a comfortable chair, in a comfortable room. The room has one door, with a small slot where food trays can be delivered. It has one wide window overlooking a pleasant country scene, with no cars, billboards, or modern distractions in sight.
There is no TV, no radio, no computer, no internet, no I-pod. Your job is to sit in that chair and wait.
There are no books, no magazines, no mental stimuli except that view.
How much money would you ask to sit in that room for 2 hours? How about for 8 hours? If they add a bed, how about a month?
You do realize that not too many generations ago, this was the lives our ancestor's led. The changing of the seansons, the occasional talk with the same family and friends they've known since childhood was their usual daily entertainment. Reading was a rare treat for those so trained. Entertainment was reserved for church or for holidays or maybe a yearly fair.
When you get done with reading this, turn off your music, close your eyes, and without falling asleep, how long can you just be?
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I have to "wait" all the time -- it's sometimes part of having kids (sitting in the car waiting for them to get out of class, or out of practice, or home from a game (when meeting the bus)etc. etc.) So I would say this is a skill I've had to practice, but I admit to actually still not being comfortable with just "sitting" and relaxing for very long. I'm a doer and a mover and I can't stand to be idle or I feel I'm being lazy. (I suppose there is some upbrining influence in there somewhere).
And now that I'm over 40, if I DO take 15 minutes and just sit, relax and tune out everything -- I'm out like a light in less than 5 minutes. Snoring peacefully.
FG
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:You do realize that not too many generations ago, this was the lives our ancestor's led.
Um, no. They had work to do. That's a lot different from sitting there doing nothing.
Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :
while they certainly weren't idle all the time, there's no arguing that life back then was a lot quieter, slower and less filled with distraction.
I'll freely admit that I am a media junkie, and that by and large America is fostering something of an ADD culture.
It's kinda sad, but I have to admit that just sitting on the couch even reading, but without a TV or music on in the background is somewhat unsettling now-a-days for me. I enjoy it at times, but it's definately out of the norm. If I'm not actively doing something, actively looking at something, and at least passively hearing things it seems odd. And this coming from someone who is nowhere near any form of diagnosable ADD.
It is interesting to think about.
Posted by Zeugma (Member # 6636) on :
Just last night, as I was making pizza, I thought to myself, "Self, when did pre-shredded cheese become a necessity for you, rather than a novelty? Why is it that you now shudder at the thought of having to shred your own cheese, even if you'd save two dollars every time you bought cheese?"
I shrugged and kept sprinkling the cheese onto the pre-cooked crust and canned pizza sauce, patting myself on the back for making it myself instead of calling for delivery.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
I'll grant we could stand to slow down a bit. But the example would drive me crazy because I unwind by walking outside, and the implication is that you would have to sit and wait.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:You do realize that not too many generations ago, this was the lives our ancestor's led. The changing of the seansons, the occasional talk with the same family and friends they've known since childhood was their usual daily entertainment. Reading was a rare treat for those so trained. Entertainment was reserved for church or for holidays or maybe a yearly fair.
Nah, not really. In addition to the labor Porter was talking about (which I'm sure took up a huge amount of a person's day), people had participatory ways of passing the time--playing instruments and singing with family and neighbors, story telling, card games, dicing, carving; I expect that people did quite a bit beyond just sitting someplace.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Yeah, we didn't have tv, internet, or really a computer growing up (it was really only a word processor, no non-educational games, and our time on them was limited), and we had lots of fun-- reading, playing games, watching birds and insects, working in the garden together, making music together, having discussions about the world and the books we read and the music we made and the people we met and all kinds of things. I would also just sit and think to myself sometimes, imagining and learning and evaluating the way things worked around me. Even if we hadn't been able to read, my grandparents and parents had tons of interesting stories, and we loved to listen to them.
While I loves me my Hatrack and yes, I'm addicted to Law and Order, I've learned before that I can go from those addictions to not missing them and entertaining myself just fine if I want to, simply by removing the devices from my life. And even as it is, I still love to chat with my friends and family, hear stories about my family history, practice crafts, cook, and read.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yep KQ, that describes my childhood pretty well too. We had a TV, but it was just an old black and white hand-me-down from my grandparents, and it was pretty much only turned on for Sesame Street, Electric Company, a show or two my parents watched, and Saturday morning cartoons. We did listen to a lot of records though, come to think of it.
9 years ago I spent a little time in a part of the world where home telephones didn't exist, except among the wealthy, and I didn't have home access to TVs, radios, or computers. There wasn't even a period of adjustment; I didn't miss them at all. Of course, that was before I found the various fora I participate in. Those I would definitely miss, but it's friends I've made rather than the medium that I'd be missing.
Posted by jeniwren (Member # 2002) on :
There is a difference between sitting quietly without the stimulation of books, radio, tv or whatever, and sitting waiting for someone or something specific.
I can really enjoy just being. It's a small vacation from the routine.
I am not so good at waiting, especially if I don't know how long I'm going to have to wait and I've got a schedule where others are depending upon me. I think the real issue is not that we're not good at waiting (who is?), but analyzing why we have so many demands on our time and how much of it is really necessary. I wonder sometimes if the demands we allow to be put on us are somewhat like spending money on stuff we don't really need.
Posted by Boothby171 (Member # 807) on :
Our local community college is giving a course in "Being Patient." I can't wait to take it! The problem is, not enough people sign up for it (or so they tell me) and they keep having to postpone it.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
quote:Patience is a virtue. Get it NOW!
This reminds me of a line from Groundhog Day: "Sincerity? I can fake that."
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
My mom is perfectly content to sit and watch the boats pass our house, sans book or company.
I, on the other hand, could never survive with my [insert long slew of technological/material goods]. For money, of course I could, but I would be concentrating on the money to keep myself from going crazy from a lack of stimulation.
I can *just be* for approximately 45 minutes which is how long I can meditate. But I probably could *just be* for about 10 minutes if my level of alertness is normal.
What can I say, I'm a child of the Age of Technology. In high school, I had little access to phone/tv/internet, but I could never survive pleasantly without books, music, and magazines. Couldn't even fathom it.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
If I had my guitar or my banjo, I could spend all day without anything else to entertain me.
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
(I've barely skimmed the thread other than the first post.)
quote:How much money would you ask to sit in that room for 2 hours?
You mean how much would I pay to sit there? Because I'd love to sit and do nothing but look out a window for two hours. I think a lot why people are so rushed all the time is because there's so much pressure to get an insane amount of stuff done. If I didn't have so many deadlines, or I thought it was possible to get all of my work done in time without working quickly and constantly, I would take more breaks to sit and do nothing, or at least slow down a bit.
Posted by Synesthesia (Member # 4774) on :
I hate waiting. I have to wait for things all the time. Wait to get a job, wait on line, what to get a mate. Constantly waiting. I don't like it. I just can't sit around and do nothing, I need to play guitar, or read or listen to music. Or at least make up songs.
Posted by Chungwa (Member # 6421) on :
I excel at sitting around doing nothing.
I spend a lot of time sitting around thinking, reading, writing, and imagining. Maybe it's not doing nothing.
Posted by Amanecer (Member # 4068) on :
quote:If they add a bed, how about a month?
If the situation was as described, no amount in the world could make me do that. Such intense isolation could drive a person insane. If you added another person to the room I think I could do it.
Posted by dantesparadigm (Member # 8756) on :
I don't have a problem sitting somewhere for a long period of time doing nothing. I prefer it if there's music playing or Fox News in the background as a passive occupation, but lacking that I just kind of' turn inward and start silently talking to myself. I can go on for hours, and not just two sides of a conversation, but dozens of different contesting opinions that chirp up and contribute something substantial. Some of the most fulfilling conversations I've ever had have been with myself.
I'm also delightfully mad.
Posted by Sergeant (Member # 8749) on :
Well, I don't own a TV because after growing up with one I cant have one around and not watch it.
As for sitting and doing nothing, I spent 3 years of my life doing a job were I sat with headphones listening to basically nothing and pressing a single button on the keyboard repeatitively (Around 40,000 hits per day) so I think I could put up with it pretty well.
Sergeant
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
How much is it to be there? I'd pay some money to go there.
To me that isn't waiting, that's peace.
There's a lot that I push into the back of my mind that I'd love to give some time to think about, but I always drown it with those distractions you mentioned...
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
quote:I'll freely admit that I am a media junkie, and that by and large America is fostering something of an ADD culture.
You say ADD, I say multitasking.
Okay, I say ADD too.
Seriously though? This sounds like the same good ol' days thing that every generation tells itself about the younger one. When I was in highschool I thought the freshmen were getting shorter every year. Same thing. If there's ever a generation that's firmly convinced of the superiority of any younger one, then I'll be seriously worried.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dan_raven: Imagine yourself sitting in a comfortable chair, in a comfortable room. The room has one door, with a small slot where food trays can be delivered. ... You do realize that not too many generations ago, this was the lives our ancestor's led.
I still fondly remember the stories that my great-grandmother used to tell about life in the old country where the food trays were always delivered through a slot in the door.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
I guess all our ancestors lived in prison...
but we aren't even all Australians!!
DISSSSSSSS!!!! Posted by imogen (Member # 5485) on :
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