On the importance of Nothingness

Ever feel that your life is nothing more than a long episode of Seinfeld … the situation comedy about nothingness? Everything seems important at the moment, but upon reflection you begin to wonder why did you spend so much energy on simply nothing! You simply go through your daily activities, entering into various conversations, completing numerous tasks, consume time and resources and in the end have accomplished a lot, but have really accomplished nothing.

Then this question … why do we feel that everything has to be important … earth shaking … life changing? Is it so bad simply to go through one’s daily activities doing the mundane, everyday type chores? Why is it when our life is more about simple existence instead of “important stuff” that we begin to grow restless and bored?

Maybe the important thing … the most important thing in life is simply to “stop and smell the roses,” as the old saying goes. Have you ever watch a toddler discover the amazing world of an ant? The world stops … nothing else really matters … they’ll sit there for an hour or more just watching the ants move twigs back and forth and, this is the kicker, be very content with themselves? What has happened in us, as we have become adults, that have allowed us to lose the wonder of the world in which we live? Or even further, why do we give ourselves permission to sit on a porch swing while on vacation for hours on end, but if we do it when at home we begin to feel guilty that we are “wasting” time?

Maybe that is what Seinfeld was about – not nothingness, but the elevation of the seemingly mundane to a level of importance … a reflection on the everyday events of our lives … an embracing of existence in a love embrace … the joy of discovery of the “everyday,” regular, simple give-n-take, conversational nuances of daily life.

Before discounting – which I think we are too quick to do – the “nothingness” of our lives, maybe … just maybe … we should take an hour on the porch swing, watch some ants move some twigs, lay on the grass and watch clouds float by, sit on the floor and stack blocks with a 2 year old, … and embrace the simple joys of everyday life!

It really is all about perspective … our point of view … the value we place upon our lives … and our understanding of how we fit into life around us ... and how much we are willing to laugh at ourselves.

Quote for today: When Irving S. Olds was chairman of the U.S. Steel Corporation, he arrived for a stockholders' meeting and was confronted by a woman who asked, "Exactly who are you and what do you do?" Without batting an eye, Olds replied, "I am your chairman. Of course, you know the duties of a chairman--that's someone who is roughly the equivalent of parsley on a platter of fish." Bits & Pieces