Being BUSY is something we Americans take great pride in doing- saying!
There’s an expression that even take that statement to a more sacred and practical level. It’s been said that if you want to get something done, ask someone who is BUSY. Of course this intimates that only a busy person can be counted on for action. It’s quite a culture we have built up in America.
The paradigm doesn’t stop with old age or retirement. No, not at all.
If you’ve had a couple of conversations with people who have reached the retirement age, you are apt to hear something like this. “I’m busier now than I ever was before I retired”. You see, being BUSY is looked upon in America particularly as a BADGE of HONOR!
I’ve gone through the identity crisis and survived!
Once known as the most productive (now called multi-tasker) person on the planet, my take great pride in mixing my day up with as many “quiet times” as I can. Go ahead, you can call them “doing nothing times”: not even thinking because thoughts are really dangerous. But, neither have I swung to the other side of the pendulum where I seek the Hindu concept of NO MIND!
We need a mind, we need time, and we need to ditch the badge of honor of BUSINESS!
Osho seems to offer the most balanced approach to the Hindu no-mind concept. While he advocates “no mind” for the purposes of meditation, he asks his followers to allow these quiet periods to inform the duration of the day. He would probably be the first to, in no uncertain terms, call stupid the one who tries to walk on water when the boat is readily available