Manifesto Monday: Idleness

photo by annabel mehran

Today I spent the entire day in bed...writing the whole time. Contrary to what you might think, I did not get sleepy while I was wrapped in a cozy blanket reading through dozens of books looking for references for a research project. I was actually quite alert. I didn't even venture to the internet until now...usually I obsessively check my email or check the weather forecast. Not today my friends. I plowed through my writing, completing my assignment an hour early!

Where did I get this brilliant idea? From a recent RadioWest I listened to with Tom Hodgkinson who recently wrote a book called, How to be Idle:

"Tom Hodgkinson argues that the Western addiction to work has resulted in a lot of ill health, debt and anxiety. In his book How to Be Idle, he seeks to recover an alternative tradition - one that says not only is idleness good, but that it is essential for a pleasurable life. Hodgkinson joins Doug Fabrizio to make the case for doing less with your life."

I'm here to tell you that idleness is good for the mind, body, and soul. This I believe. (if you don't agree, listen to the broadcast first!)