The Art Of Doing Nothing

Doing nothing is an art, and like any art, it is necessary to be inspired by the masters to progress. What is doing nothing?

The frenetic life we all undergo in one way or another makes the concept of idleness (which gave rise to the word leisure) or non-action almost impossible. Our minds are constantly in motion. This activity finds no rest. Yet, it is in the pause that our brain regenerates. A healthy brain is like the movement of the pedals on a bicycle: if you only press on one pedal, you will not move forward. The same is true for cognitive activity and brain rest. Without an alternation of these two phases, we stop. Two cognitive words are at work: focused thinking (deliberate, problem-solving, intentional and awake) and diffuse thinking (uncontrolled, spontaneous, connects disparate pieces of information, not focused, daydreaming or sleeping).

In reality, doing nothing is anything but doing nothing and conversely, brain overactivity is a way to stop thinking by dulling or saturating our cognitive capacities.

Doing nothing is to reconnect with the contemplative dimension of life, to walk, observe or admire without judging or conceptualizing.
Doing nothing is seeing without looking, hearing without listening. It is to become transparent again, to be one with the scenery.
To do nothing is to become the receptacle of the world and to stop projecting our images and identifications. To do nothing is to reconnect with the world of silence to rediscover its sound: the rustle of the wind brushing the bell of our ears, the lapping of the waves on the docks, the cries of the seagulls that we see in the distance.

Doing nothing is also letting the elements invade our senses: smelling the freshly wet earth or appreciating the caresses that the warm summer air gives us in its great generosity.

To do nothing is to get off the train and walk along the paths of life to savor the detours and to take another train when we feel like it.