In Praise of Idleness

 Bertrand Russell is one one of my favorite authors, thinkers and activists for social justice and fairness. I read what he writes with respectful attention. Work hard, don't be lazy, don't  be a bum, has been a modern person's mantra. To write about " In Praise of Idleness" is by itself a bold and out-of-the box kind of thinking. The title of the article was good enough for me to read, reflect and respond.
 
The Bhagvad Gita-The Divine Song- is one of the few books that have made me think about balance, equanimity, excellence in action, and fulfillment. The book for me is about asking deep questions about living a happy and fulfilling life. It is about discovering and practicing the Yogic way of living.

A mindful and balanced way of living has been very helpful to me. i have learned that there is a time for work and time for leisure; a time to be alone and a time to be with others; a time to be serious and time to be silly; a time to be sad and a time to be glad; a time to receive and a time to give; a time to talk and a time to listen. These stances  may seem opposite to each other. To me, they are complementary, like back and front, day and night, yes and no, right and wrong. They are not absolute. Either/or dichotomous way of thinking and way of living and relating is not my cup of tea. I like the "and" between two apparently opposites; to be able to see them as different. A lot of unnecessary and harmful pain and suffering has been caused by the either /or- stance-either you are with me or against me- a way of thinking and living and relating. The differences do not have to cause distances if we keep our mind and heart open, to be empathic to others.

So work is worship and play is also worship. It is indeed simple unless we make it complicated and difficult. Simplicity is easy to understand but difficult to practice. Small is beautiful but difficult to implement. We all are familiar with conditioning, hypnotizing and brain washing. Liberating oneself from these powerful external forces is difficult.

I always appreciate getting such weekly gifts, reading reflective comments by other friends and remaining connected with them.

Gratefully,

Jagdish P Dave
 

 Would this piece read the same if we substituted "men" by women. Woman's work seems to be unending. Men can get away from work, or put it out of their minds, not so women, especially women rearing children. Finding leisure in these circumstances is challenging, but not doing it is devastating.