14 ms·
This version of doing nothing IMO is still “doing something”. It’s clearly not “just existing” to have a standard that you must hold still, not look around the
by msaltz 2mo ago
This version of doing nothing IMO is still “doing something”. It’s clearly not “just existing” to have a standard that you must hold still, not look around the room, not engage in thinking, notice how you’re feeling, etc.
It’s clear when you see the picture of the cat in the article that the cat has none of these concerns.
I’d consider this to be a form of meditation - still containing ideas of “this, not that”.
Something that has felt much more rewarding to me is to really just exist, but without any ideas of being present, or things you must do or not do. I just sit and take a break from doing anything on purpose. My mind might wander, or it might not. When it does “wander”, and I realize that it’s been wandering it almost feels like a miracle - how is this thing doing this on its own? But that’s not really the point either. Whatever is here now, is here now, whether you notice it or not. And by the time you notice it, it’s gone. So what difference is there between thinking and not thinking?
- Murfalo 2mo agoRight, I think commonly "doing nothing"/meditation is approached with the goal of "doing something", i.e. "getting the hell out of here" or changing instead of sitting with how you feel in the present moment. And, just as you say, that basically defeats the entire purpose.
- vishnugupta 2mo agoSeconded. For me "doing nothing" also means "doing nothing without following any rules" as you've stated. My version of doing nothing involves either just sitting outside watching the world go by or walking & wandering around. May poke at plants here or there, pick up a stone or throw it etc., But no, I'm not consciously trying to "calm my mind"
- mrloopex 2mo agoLeave it to hacker news to bitch about how “meditation is wrong” just because it requires a tiny bit of effort to understand.
- vishnugupta 2mo ago“..for me..”, “…my version…”
- hbcdbff 2mo agoNo one ever implied, let alone said, that, but if it makes you happy to have a strawman please carry on