A Pizzaonian perspective – Conjectures of a recovering dilettante
In today’s world we are spending so much time becoming, there is little time left to simply “be.” This is a major concern of Pizzaonians in general, and from our perspective, should be for everyone else who is hoping to live a fulfilled life. Please note the word “fulfilled” instead of happiness. Fulfillment in your life should always be your focus.
The reason is simple. When you use fulfillment as your yardstick, there is no confusion. Happiness is too vague a word to be used for such an important question. Happiness is an emotion that is very fleeting.
Fulfillment is easy. It’s like knowing whether you are hungry or not. You ether are or you are not. It does not take a lot of time to figure out. However, while it does not take a lot of time, it does take focused time.
Here the emphasis has to be on quality time. To many of us waste what could be quality time "being” because we are culturally unable to appreciate or understand that the concept of being commands a profound reverence.
For those who believe that being in motion or doing is what defines quality time, this is a hard concept to grasps emotionally. Intellectual understanding - this is easy. Most of us eventually get it on this level; however, to feel it in your gut, that takes real understanding.
If you have any doubt about any of this, you need to explore certain questions. Why for one, are so many seemingly successful people not happy? I am often questioned on this concept of happiness since we culturally equate happiness with “doing.” I am coming from another direction. I believe always needing to be in motion is in itself a disease that this culture masks as a virtue. “Idle time is the devil's workshop.” Sound familiar?
One way western culture sells quite time as a virtue is to make it a useful activity that will make your “doing” time more productive. From this was born the “mediation industry.” To simply be still, for no other reason other than to experience stillness for its own sake is considered unproductive.
However, if down time can make me a better and more efficient machine, I have a product that I can sell not only to myself but to everyone else. Is that not what the meditation industry has done? By being quiet and a reaching for a deeper level of understanding, we assume our busy time will be more efficient.
There is no longer anything that can be justified without a defined purpose. Since we yearn for quality down time that we cannot justify to ourselves as being useful, we have to give it purpose, and in our culture what better purpose than to make you a more efficient money-making machine.
This was never more evident to me than the time I met a man on one of my ocean beach walks who was fishing. He was sitting in a small comfortable chair with his fishing pole perched on a prop to hold it upright. The fishing line was extended some distance in the water.
As I passed he looked up at me and said a friendly “hello.” I answered back and said he seemed to enjoy fishing. He smiled and said, “Not particularly.” He saw my perplexed look and continued: "I really don’t care about fishing at all."
"I discovered some time ago that when you want to enjoy doing nothing, you have to seem like you are doing something preferably useful. Fishing serves that purpose very well. I can sit here and have quality “do nothing” time and no one will ask me what I am doing.”
I asked him if he had caught a fish. He said, “No, and I am not sure what I would do if I ever did.”
He knew by my expression that I understood completely. Since then I have always had a much deeper appreciation for people who fish and spend long hours staring at the sea.
John Frank Giovanni, commenting for "The Pizzaonian" a division of the Pizzaonian Newsertainment Network, Diverti Mento, editor
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