I often feel sickened by the sheer amount of time and energy I spend binging on Netflix series, checking my social media, planning or dreaming about the next vacation and generally just zoning out. Of course, during each of these activities, I am not being active. I am usually eating more and perhaps, drinking too much. When I overindulge in food and drink, I wake more tired and feel less like doing things. It becomes a bit of a cycle.
As humans, we are entitled to rest (at least one day per week), but when a reasonable amount of rest becomes slothful***, I think we have moved past entitlement. Part of the disconnect in today's society is that the concept of rest has changed. In the past, rest and leisure meant stopping work and making time to cultivate familial, cultural, social and religious lives. It was active! It was in community with others. It did not mean going alone into one’s home and interacting mainly through screens. I am not saying everyone is doing this, but I certainly can be guilty of doing it and thinking that it is a fruitful rest.
It is a fact that we are more sedentary than ever in our working lives. When you start out sitting, the laws of motion imply that you will remain sitting. We have to actively cultivate movement into our days. This is hard, because the first outcome of moving is feeling more hungry, more tired and perhaps more sore. This does not feel like progress. If you respond to the tired by going to bed earlier and getting up and moving even more, eventually movement will be easier.
All of which leads to a better quality of life. We all know we feel better when we are able to participate. Over the last few years (yes, it has been a process), I have been implementing more movement in my life and I am truly experiencing the benefits. I have friends who have started saying, “Yes” to movement and doing more and they too seem happier and more active. Since I started moving, I have enough things to keep me busy that I can no longer agree to working extra hours and I find myself able to stay active even when I am waiting on others. I fall into bed most nights ready to sleep.
I realize this is starting to sound like an infomercial for a miracle drug. That is because it feels somewhat radical. If you are feeling bored, I encourage you to start adding in some interests. Start small by saying yes to activities with others. Go even if they are not your particular cup of tea. Just get out and get used to being with people. Try to find something that can travel around with you (i.e. a book, a journal, some needlework or a camera). It may take a while to build up your activity level, but once you do, before long you will see benefits. Remember that it is true what they say – idleness is the devil’s workshop.
*** As one of the seven deadly sins, sloth needs monitoring. Watch for these characteristics in your own life:
“Sloth is an inclination to idleness or at least aimlessness, to apathy in action. At times, this is a morbid disposition due to poor condition of health. More frequently, it is a disease of the will, which fears effort and recoils from it. The slothful want to escape all exertion, whatever might interfere with their comfort or involve fatigue. Like the real parasite, they live on others to whatever extent they can. Tractable and submissive as long as no one interferes with them, they become surly and peevish when one would rouse them from their inaction.” (The Spiritual Life, Tanquery # 884)
