The book helped me categorize some of the notions that I had in my own mind about career/calling and pointed out many of the potential pitfalls of pursuing middleclassdom (living beyond your means and thus becoming trapped because of your lifestyle). If you're disturbed about the career choices you've made or unsettled regarding the direction your life is taking this is a pretty good read.
Anyhow, I subscribe to his 'e-zine' and from time to time he sends out stories or essays which reinforce the assertions in his book. Today he included the following quote from Adam Phillips (author of Going Sane):
What I would suggest is more time wasting, less stimulation. We need time to lie fallow like we did in childhood, so we can recuperate. Rather than be constantly told what we want and be pressurized to go after it, I think we would benefit greatly from spells of vaguely restless boredom in which desire can crystallize.So what do you think? Do we need more 'spells of vaguely restless boredom'? Please comment.
B
4 comments:
I agree that the growing up thought is crap. I'll be interested to see what else you come up with. Good stuff on your blog.
B
I have stayed in school a long time. It is both leading to good things in the future and giving me fun right now. There is something to be said for loafing sometimes. I walk or bike once in a while with no goals. I agree that a big amount of "growing up" is bad thinking. The good adulthood aspect is being someone others can count on as a worker, a friend or a generally good, trustworthy person. Some people tend to lump that one with loss of ambition, bad physical shape, possessions and a bunch of other junk.
To start controversy, the Protestant Reformation is one problem. Many early figures were against idleness as the territory of evil. It is not so simple, of course, and I am sure there was plenty of medieval dissatisfaction. A Confederacy of Dunces is pretty funny along these lines.
I hope you find the time to sort the grain from the chaff once in a while. (I hope the same for myself.) Having time without immediate demands is probably important to doing it.
Good points Michael. I have no idea about the worldview of Phillips (haven't read his book) and I can only speculate on Clark's based on what I read in TMITG.
Nonetheless, in some respects, the 'vaguely restless boredom' sounds to me like quiet time or meditation... withdrawing from stimulation in order to reflect upon or soak in what we've learned/are learning...or just listening to that still, small voice. On the other hand, as the reformers rightly identified there is a temptation to slothfulness in there that one has to be careful of as well.
Thanks for the thoughtful comments.
B
Great points Bubba. Maybe it isn't the boredom part... alot of what I think he is communicating is more about retreat, turning off the voice of the world and listening- in his case to the desire of his 'inner child', in our case for the voice of the Lord.
So maybe the part of his suggestion about 'less stimulation' and not being 'told what we want and be pressurized to go after it' is more accurate than VRB. It sounds like this is what you experienced during lent... you turned off the tv (which is stimulation, being told what you want and pressurization all at once) and listened, prayed, read and wrote more than before and were more fulfilled.
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