“Get off the computer and go do something productive!” my mom shouts.
I’ve heard this line countless times. Even though I don’t speak fluent Chinese, it’s not hard to interpret what she means. Instead of playing games on the computer, I should be doing something more “productive”, like studying for my classes. Even though I’m not technically doing “nothing”, my parents don’t see it as such and encourage me to stop being lazy.
When people talk about doing “nothing”, they really mean doing nothing productive. I don’t think it’s actually possible to do “nothing”- even if you’re sitting motionless on the couch, you’re still sort of resting. For today’s society, an activity is a good use of your time when it pertains to work, and not to entertainment. Generally, it’s not productive when someone entertains themselves with “trivial” things like television, but apparently it’s fine if you’re handed monotonous math problems you’ll likely never use in the future, because hey, it’s work; it’s something “productive”.
Even when I don’t have anything to do, when I’ve completed my schoolwork and fulfilled my physical exercise quota for the week, my parents are still dissatisfied. “How are you going to advance in life if you don’t pursue a passion?” my father asks, assuming that his question would immediately convert me into a hardworking, studious millionaire. I nod my head, grunting affirmatively in the hopes that he’ll leave me alone. Don’t get me wrong- I’d absolutely love to have an amazing work ethic and to continuously drive myself to succeed; it just isn’t possible without relaxing. In many cases, I relax by doing the aforementioned “nothing”- engaging in unproductive activities to rest my mind.
Doing “nothing”, then, is sometimes the best thing to do. Of course, it has to be in moderation. If you have important assignments due the next day, doing nothing - or procrastinating- is often the wrong thing to do. However, when you’re burning the midnight oil, taking a break is one of the most productive things to do. After a while, your productivity declines as you get exhausted from the repetitive grind of “work, work, work”; allowing yourself to unwind can help you be more productive later on. You could work a 9-5 job every weekday, constantly giving your best effort, and then come home and blankly stare at a wall for a few hours, if it helps you relax. It’s not exactly productive, but it’s a still a good use of your time.
Everyone has their own idea of what “doing nothing” means to them. Depending on the activity, one person could be ridiculed for their relaxation routine, while another could fit right in with society. I don’t think anyone but themselves can judge whether “doing nothing” is a good use of time; “nothing” could be different for every person. Everyone deserves the luxury of “doing nothing”; I should be allowed to play games as a respite. Although I’m flattered my parents care enough to pay attention to what I’m doing, I’d prefer if they didn’t excessively judge my activities. Even so, I guess it’s better than my parents doing nothing.
This is an interesting take on the idea of "doing nothing," and I think you wrote about it really well.
ReplyDeleteWow, really well-written and funny. I like the sarcastic but practical tone and I think you "used humor" effectively in this piece while staying cognizant of your topic and the possibility that others might see "doing nothing" differently. The final paragraph seemed a little disjointed, so maybe you could go over it for smoothness. I definitely agree with your point about needing to 'do nothing' in order to recuperate and enable yourself to be more productive in the future, but I didn't think that that point was very clearly tied to the beginning of your essay, when you were talking about yourself gaming in your free time. This could potentially be a place to add some more self-explication and talk personally about how 'doing nothing' impacts your life. Just an idea. Overall, really enjoyable to read!
ReplyDeleteI REALLY like tHIS essay. You explored a very interesting subject and explained your take on it very clearly ( when it easily could have become muddled). The final paragraph seems a bit clunky, so you might want to go back and revise the wording a bit. Great job ribbert
ReplyDeleteI really like this essay. Like the other commenters said, this essay is very well written and funny. I like how you start off with your parents telling you to stop doing 'nothing' as the very first sentence. It makes the essay more personal by showing your family dynamic.
ReplyDeleteI also really like your stance on the topic. I was always that person who felt guilty about sitting around and doing 'nothing' but your essay made me reconsider the benefits to doing nothing.
Perhaps to make the essay more personal, you could talk about what you do when you're doing nothing and how it sort of relaxes you.
This was an essay that flowed really well; I didn't have to pause in various places to try to understand what you were saying. I also enjoy the various bits of humor like here: "Although I’m flattered my parents care enough...." The use of the word 'flattered' for some reason made me laugh a little. I don't know if you intended it for it to be funny, but it adds onto the image of how you are annoyed by how your parents are constantly picking on you to do something productive.
Overall this was a great essay!