Alexa, Play “Despacito”

            In the tumultuous society that we find ourselves living in, there isn’t a more underrated pastime than doing nothing. The world around us is moving at 1037 mph. Most people think they must keep racing around, caught up in the plague of hustle culture. Why not take a break for a little while and enjoy the ride?

            Slow up. Take a deep breath. Put off that nagging worry that you’re convinced will be the end of the world. I’m sure you’ll be just fine. Try doing just a little bit of nothing. Trust me, it’ll help you enjoy life some more. You’ll get time to enjoy your present situation or reassess your priorities. Maybe even get the opportunity to just give your brain a chill pill for a little while and let the neurons rest. They don’t have to fire 24/7/365 for your lifetime.

            It’s like giving your body and brain the option to recuperate. Take, for example, my athletics career. Every day I push my body to the limit. This would be impossible to maintain for every waking second. I’d get badly injured, now no longer able to perform any physical activity. Our brain works the same way. It’s valuable to take a second to sit back and focus upon the void, allowing your brain to hit the mental reset button. Your brain is given the chance to recalibrate itself to a healthy working state. It’s in a similar vein to what we do when we sleep, except you perform a different operation. In sleep, we turn ourselves off and back on again, hoping the bugs fix themselves. When you do nothing, you remain in authority, honing your mind until your sense of self is defined again. You can do nothing as long as you want, seizing control from the outward pressures of society.

            Is there anything more precious than your sense of self? If who you feel you are is a distortion of what you could truly be, then you have found yourself in a tricky paradigm. Few among our modern society have not fallen into this trap, however. We find ourselves in a funhouse, the one with the warping mirrors. Hustle culture is the mirror. Try doing nothing, turning introspectively to study yourself. The mirror will shatter.

            Everything is only good in moderation, of course. You must find a balance within yourself. This balance is unique to each and every individual; it is only you who can determine exactly what you need. If you eat 5 chicken breasts at once, you’ll probably get quite sick. A power lifter may get quite happy, content to support their gains. We’re all different. Just as you may need to do less of nothing, I may need to do more. If either of do too much of nothing, we may end up brainrotted. You are still a member of society, at least, I hope. Go experience it, live the life you would like for yourself, but be careful not to overcommit yourself to everything.

            It is such a joy that we live within a society where doing nothing is a possibility. You possess the base luxuries not provided to those of our ancestors. Food and drink come easily to most, yet we still find that we are pushed to gain more. We do not properly appreciate the situation we find ourselves in. You do not live in a Fast & Furious movie, no matter how much you wish you could. It sure sounds fun to always live in the fast lane, but the second that things get serious, you may not have time to focus on your true values. Take the time to free your mind from the clutches of our fast-paced society, for you never know when you’ll ever escape the trance again.

Collins

For the reader:

I'd appreciate your general thoughts on this piece. I feel like there's some key ideas, but it may struggle to accentuate the main points as it strikes a balance between relatability and personal experience. Let me know what you think! Thank you!!!