In the spiritual commentary text The Tao Of Pooh, author Benjamin Hoff has Taoist conversations with one of the world’s most beloved philosophical thinkers: Winnie the Pooh. Among many other topics, one day, Benjamin and Pooh discuss business. Hoff describes the “Bisy Backson” (young human Christopher Robin’s childish note meant to say busy back soon) who is always busy doing something. Notably, he suggests, people who stay busy have favorite activities which require being active. There is always something to do. As a result, there is always little time. Busy people have to put great effort into focusing on saving time in order to have more time, so that they can make the most of that time. “The main problem with this great obsession for saving time is very simple: you can’t save time,” Hoff eloquently asserts. “You can only spend it wisely or foolishly.” A busy body, or, a “busy backson,” Hoff elaborates, “has practically no time at all, because he’s too busy wasting it by trying to save it.” “And,” he poignantly concludes, “by trying to save it, he ends up wasting the whole thing.”
Preoccupation
Mindful.org wrote an article asking, “Are You Addicted To Doing?”. The authors write that in truth, “action addiction”, or the addiction to being busy is actually “an advanced sort of laziness.” “The busier we keep ourselves,” the authors describe, “the more we avoid being confronted with questions of life and death. As we keep ourselves occupied with tasks, important or not, we avoid facing life.” Additionally, the authors later emphasize, “The busier we get, the more energy flows to the head and away from the heart.”
Stillness to Busyness
Modern society has taken giant leaps away from stillness and dove head on into busyness. The more busy one’s schedule is, the more accomplished they have become. Trying to avoid the stress of their schedules they assert that they aren’t “busy”, but that their lives are “full”. Full or busy, it is critical to practice slowing down. Take time out of each day to meditate, practice mindfulness, and be aware. Make sure to get enough rest, practice self-care, and stay connected to others. As the infamous Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around for awhile, you might miss it.”
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