The happiest people seem to be those who are producing something; the bored
people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing.
people are those who are consuming much and producing nothing.
William Inge
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Today's Meditation:
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Today's Meditation:
When all is said and done, it really doesn't matter what
we're producing (unless it's illegal and/or harmful), but that we are
producing. We don't have to be running the most popular restaurant in the
city, but if we love cooking and we're good at it, then we need to be cooking
instead of microwaving. We don't have to sell millions of units of our
crafts, but if we love doing crafts, then we need to be making them and giving
them away or selling them. Being productive is a way to keep our minds
working and our spirits fulfilled.
Too many people allow boredom to be a dominant element of their lives because
it's easier to turn on the TV than it is to undertake a new project. It's
easier to just sit there than it is to be active and work at something.
For many people it's a question of fear--they don't want to take on new
projects because they're afraid that they may not finish them, or that others
will criticize the results of their work.
If that's the case, then we're letting the fear of what others might say rule
our lives and our actions. If we refuse to start producing something real
and tangible that we may take pride in in the future because of what may or may
not happen, then we're sabotaging our own lives and putting ourselves in a
position in which it's very difficult to find happiness or even peace of mind.
We all can produce something, and doing so leads to feelings of accomplishment
and satisfaction, and the successful production of one thing usually leads to
the hope of the successful production of something else, giving us something to
aspire to and to hope for and to look forward to. Boredom is usually the
result of a passive approach to our life situations; happiness is usually a
result of being active in carving our own lives out of the stuff of everyday
existence.
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Questions to consider:
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Questions to consider:
What do you think William means when he says, "those who are producing
something"?
What kinds of things are you good at? How often do you actively pursue
your chances to produce things?
Why do so many people get caught up in merely consuming without
producing?
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For further thought:
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For further thought:
If you observe really happy people you will find them
building a boat, writing a symphony, educating their children,
growing double dahlias in their gardens, or looking for
dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert. They will not be searching
for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled
under the radiator. They will not be striving for it as a goal
in itself. They will have become aware that they are happy
in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day.
building a boat, writing a symphony, educating their children,
growing double dahlias in their gardens, or looking for
dinosaur eggs in the Gobi desert. They will not be searching
for happiness as if it were a collar button that has rolled
under the radiator. They will not be striving for it as a goal
in itself. They will have become aware that they are happy
in the course of living life twenty-four crowded hours of the day.
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