Action/Reaction
I’ve been planning for some time to write a blog entry musing on the merits of doing versus thinking, but as I have an astonishing headache at the moment, this is going to be the short, short version.
I find it important to be the kind of person who is engaged with the world. I’ve always believed in the theory that you can achieve your goals if you only work hard enough, and that if you aren’t willing to work that hard, you didn’t really want the outcome that much in the first place.
Conflating these two principles has led me to be the kind of person who fills her life to the brim with things to do. It’s okay to take time to relax, but only if you have done and achieved enough to justify the break. Non-stop guilt-free coasting is not permissible in my lexicon.
But here I run into a problem; if you spend all of your time doing things, you can arguably run out of time to be engaged with the world.
Every time I am “doing something” whether that something is volunteering in a school, taking singing lessons, playing ultimate, taking dance lessons, renovating a kitchen, my focus narrows inevitably to that one thing, and particularly where that one thing is a skills-based or physical activity, I feel like I’m losing sight of the outside world.
One of these days I’m going to find a way to stay engaged with some of the political and social issues that grab my attention.
All suggestions on this topic are welcome.
I find it important to be the kind of person who is engaged with the world. I’ve always believed in the theory that you can achieve your goals if you only work hard enough, and that if you aren’t willing to work that hard, you didn’t really want the outcome that much in the first place.
Conflating these two principles has led me to be the kind of person who fills her life to the brim with things to do. It’s okay to take time to relax, but only if you have done and achieved enough to justify the break. Non-stop guilt-free coasting is not permissible in my lexicon.
But here I run into a problem; if you spend all of your time doing things, you can arguably run out of time to be engaged with the world.
Every time I am “doing something” whether that something is volunteering in a school, taking singing lessons, playing ultimate, taking dance lessons, renovating a kitchen, my focus narrows inevitably to that one thing, and particularly where that one thing is a skills-based or physical activity, I feel like I’m losing sight of the outside world.
One of these days I’m going to find a way to stay engaged with some of the political and social issues that grab my attention.
All suggestions on this topic are welcome.
posted by Aletha at 4:51 p.m.
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