CHILL

'Doing nothing' is an illusion we've been chasing all our lives. For most of us, it all began when the concept of school was introduced. We suddenly realized we couldn't "do nothing" like we once did as babies or toddlers. Now we had to wake up at a set time, not when we wanted. Our mandated urgency at an early hour of the day paved the way for a long list of involuntary tasks. Taking a shower, eating cereal, running after a bus, packing a lunch box, packing a backpack, completing homework.

And just when we thought life couldn't get any worse, we were further confronted almost simultaneously with more fragments that equally buried our hopes of doing-nothing. One of which is 'Not Forgetting.

We must not forget something throughout our day. It scares us.

When we forget, we rob ourselves or people of fulfilling expectations, even by forgetting something personal like a wallet or a set of keys could lead to grave disappointments. Thinking critically, we mostly forget things we purposely keep out of our daily to-do lists due to the trivial way we perceive them in our minds. We say, 'Oh, I'll call back,' but we don't.

Another subtle barrier to doing-nothing is "Being-On-Time."

Being-On-time is dependent on human relations as much as not-forgetting. These two actions bear consequences on us and others.

Being-on-time is arguably one of the most ancient social constructs.

There's an old story about chronology told in West Africa, about how early indigenes of the land translated their idea of time consciousness. At the time, one of the most common male professions was Palm-Wine-Tapping. A job that required an able-bodied man to climb a long slender tree and retrieve its fresh alcoholic juices.

The resources for this means of livelihood proved abundant, as a palm tree could be found 500 feet from every home. The indigenous time denominator would then be the activities of the palm wine tapper closest to your house. Usually, these men would work 3 "shifts" over the day, Morning, Afternoon, and Evening. So an arrangement between two people could mean meeting during the Palmwine Drinkard's Afternoon schedule. This implied that the persons involved in the rendezvous would have to monitor the movement of the wine-tapper closest to them and determine when he arrives before they set out for their appointment.

But as you may have guessed, this process was flawed from the get-go because we both have two different palm wine tappers to contend with, both of whom are victims of time and chance. One might work for longer while one might retire earlier, thereby further eliminating the probability of a timely meet.

Things are different now, with the introduction of a digital clock that can precisely measure time in hours, minutes, seconds. Now all the world is on-time. We can't plainly say we missed our palm wine tapper's resumption. Now we risk losing our social trust. This is what makes being on time so challenging. People tend to get offended by it. You wouldn't want to be late to a meeting with Jimmy Hoffa, except you're Tony Pro.

We long to lay in bed on a whim, all of us, New Mothers, 9 to 5ers, School Children. We secretly long to rid ourselves of being on time or remembering favors or tasks.

Growing up, I got called lazy a lot, mostly for evading chores for more time behind the panoramic screen. Over the years, as life got harder, as it rarely ever doesn't, I yearned for my years of doing-nothing. I nagged about college work. I complained about the rigidity of my job. I ultimately protested against responsibility because I hated the urgency of things. I was secretly yearning for more time to procrastinate. And by so doing, self-sabotaging myself.

Per-contra 'doing-nothing' isn't precisely just that. It is subjective and brings about another social construct that validates how we spend our time.

Society has created these two categories; constructive vs. unconstructive.

We've all seen that cringy motivational meme that tells us why Rolls Royce does not advertise on TV; because its customers don't lay around all day watching a reel in a box! Utter crap, I tell you. It is elitist and judgemental. They are guilt-tripping us into watching less TV. I have a message for them (literally);

Hey Mr. Motivational Fiend,

I'm about to enter into a challenge on Vocal detailing my favorite TV show. When I win the cash prize of a thousand bucks, you tell me if all those long hours of watching GOT (that have most likely prevented me from becoming a New York Times best-selling author) did not pay off.

*shoves the cash in their Instagram face!*

The culture endorses phrases like "Don't Grow Up, It's a Trap.' Further reinforcing our need to seek this freedom of 'Doing-nothing.'

-All the hours we spend on social media or streaming services

-Hours spent sleeping.

Both considered unconstructive uses of our time.

'Work' is the most constructive thing we could ever do.

No one even cares about building or maintaining human relationships.

Well, this year, I have decided to break the mold of procrastination. A habit I admit grew worse during the pandemic. We all felt secure and guilt-free while spending our days in procrastination during the lockdown. Finding comfort in the thought that, after all, the whole world was "doing-nothing," no sports, no movies, no work, no school. Our leaders were doing nothing, no apparent solution to the virus, no new measures to tackle old anti-social systems. Of course, those who knew what we procrastinators fear to come to terms with -in the form of a wise Ralph Waldo Emmerson quote, "The World Belongs to the energetic." -did not sit idly watching Netflix.

Those Doers, as they are sometimes called; those who see the need for life in motion, were always moving and doing, those people we like to point our finger at in hypocrisy as being caught up in the rat race. Those people we see in movies depicting new york, those people walking uniformly on the boardwalk. Those people ended up being the victors of 2020. They were the ones who started new businesses, the ones who learned new skills, the ones who picked up good cooking habits.

I respect them because they are everything I am not, yet everything I want to be. I can't win by going against the motion.

This year my resolve is to chase after 'constructive' activities, but I will be the judge, not the world. I will be on time, and I won't forget.

"No man is given but so much time to accomplish whatever is his life's work." - Malcolm X.