How to do nothing and do it well - move to Utila and learn from experts

Doing nothing is a sin. In Christianity it is called ‘slothfulness’ and it is seriously frowned upon. Doing nothing means that you are not being a productive and successful member of the society. Operative word being ‘successful’, not happy. To be respected and admired, you have to be successful. You have to work and not waste too much time on idle pastime like sleeping, walking, reading, or just doing nothing.

Why do we feel guilty when we do nothing, when we are just sitting in the garden watching leaves rustle? We feel like we should be doing something. Our entire civilization is based on work. When we are on vacation, we cannot relax because we are not used to doing nothing.

Of course, this is not universal. This is mostly North American invention, and the disease spread to some circles of societies in other parts of the word. Otherwise, other cultures are doing much better. Italians and French have two hour-lunches, sipping their espressos for hours while watching beautiful girls or boys pass by. Latinos invented siesta – they take two hours break during the hottest part of the day and do nothing. Asians, especially Taoist and Buddhist, meditate and in general spend large amount of time contemplating things like their navels, or cherry blossoms and rock gardens. Africans will watch white mountaintops, or wildebeest migration, for hours.

So, what is wrong with us? Why do we have to travel around the world to learn from other cultures that doing nothing is, well, not doing nothing. It is part of normal spiritual life to contemplate, reflex, let senses do the work without the mind interfering. All we have to do is accept that we need spiritual life. It is not as easy as you think. Spiritual life brings to mind spirits and flaky aunt Thelma and her crystals. Spiritual is not part of Western culture. But, it better become soon, because we are burning out.

What kind of life this is: we work 35 hours a week (if we are not lawyers) mostly to make money. Then we use that money to buy cars, clothes, makeup, computer, Blackberry, briefcase - and who knows what else – in order to work. We spend so much time preparing for work and resting from work and thinking about work that we do not have any time to live. And then we die. So, we better learn to be idle from time to time, as a sort of interim period. Come to Utila and learn from the best.

Yours, slothfully,

Marina Ecohouseutila