6 ms·

Our society isn't exactly set up for "doing nothing", either. If you're just sitting somewhere without doing anything, you might be loitering, you'll start gett

• treis 5y ago
  >“All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” From a philosopher writing in the 1600s. I don't think it's an issue with any particular society. It just seems part of human nature to be inable to sit and do nothing for a significant period of time.
  • MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
    I for one would love to be a bohemian layabout all day doing nothing. Like a cat staring out a window listlessly wasting the clock.
    • hypertele-Xii 5y ago
      There's a reason humans have conquered the world and cats are our pets.
      • tfigueroa 5y ago
        In their wisdom, they decided to leave the conquest to these curious bipeds, so they could relax in the sun and watch time drift by…
        • MeinBlutIstBlau 5y ago
          This is why egyptians worshipped cats. They knew that at the end of the day, the won and ourselves now have to work hard.
      • deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
  • IncRnd 5y ago
    It is not part of human nature. It does happen when a person has a restless mind, however. How would you test this? The first way is direct: learn to quiet your own mind. The second way is through inference: observe a newborn baby who doesn't need food and when there isn't excessive stimulation (light sound, smell, pain, etc.) - they simply observe what is around them.
    • treis 5y ago
      Because that's all a new born baby can do (and often they're not happy about it). As soon as they're mobile they will interact with their environment whenever they can.
      • IncRnd 5y ago
        When a baby isn't happy, they will let you know that, regardless of whether some adults believe that most babies are unhappy.
    • brailsafe 5y ago
      Wouldn't it happen more without a restless mind? I have an extremely restless mind and can do this just fine.
• Jeff_Brown 5y ago
  In 2002, on my way to work in I think Berkeley (definitely somewhere in the Bay Area), I noticed some beautiful echoes in the subway station, and I stopped walking, stood still, and listened. A staff member walked up and asked if I was okay. I said yes. Maybe I explained what I was doing, I don't remember. A few minutes later three paramedics appeared, forcibly strapped me to a gurney, and took me to a hospital. I protested, of course. They were clearly not being paid to listen to me.
  • im3w1l 5y ago
    How long were you in the subway station listening? What happened at the hospital? And did you get a bill?
    • Jeff_Brown 5y ago
      Good questions. I imagine listened somewhere between one and ten minutes. At the hospital I remember nothing except that my arm was tied to a bar above my head for long enough that it hurt, and I had to plead to get them to restrain me some other way. I don't know whether I received a bill. Neither does my mom, who probably would have paid for it, as I was making peanuts. I wish I'd kept a diary. (I actually did a lot of writing that year, but it was of the creative sort. I held onto a box full of it for years. I went through it once and thought it was dumb, but kept it still. The second time I did that, years later, I confirmed my earlier judgment and decided it wasn't worth keeping.)
  • is_true 5y ago
    That's exactly what people about to commit suicide do.
    • Jeff_Brown 5y ago
      That's interesting. In any old place? I wasn't anywhere near the tracks; I was in a big underground space on my way out. I wasn't suicidal, but I was definitely unhappy that year. I don't know to what extent that showed. It may have been later in life that I developed my habitual friendliness with strangers. I do remember deciding shortly after that to learn to fear other peoples' potential fears. It's a pain in the ass, but optimal, I think.
• theonemind 5y ago
  Funny looks don't bother me too much, but someone is bound to ask if you're okay. Depending on the level of foot traffic, possibly several someones.