I recently completed doing 20 minutes of nothing. The only time I'm doing 2o minutes of "nothing" is usually when I'm lying down trying to fall asleep; this time was no exception...I wanted to go to sleep! There's no time in the day do actually sit and do absolutely nothing, but even before attempting this excercise, I was aware that it is nearly impossible to do "nothing" for any given amount of time. Why? The answer is easy: because even though one might physically be still, the mind is restless. Thinking is doing something, I believe that's irrefutable. Furthermore, it can be argued that "doing nothing" is, in fact, doing something. Ha, the irony.
The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines "nothing" in three parts: 1: not any thing : no thing; 2: no part; 3: one of no interest, value, or consequence. Is blinking doing something then? Probably. What about closing your eyes? I think that also includes doing something. Breathing? That counts. So really, the only time a person is doing "nothing" is when they must be deceased, as morbid as that might sound. The whole body system is shut down: no thoughts, no dreams, no body functions are operating what-so-ever. Once deceased, there is no relationship to activity. The definition of death according to Merriam-Webster includes the following: (2): lacking power to move, feel, or respond; c (1): incapable of being stirred emotionally or intellectually; (2): grown cold : extinguished; 3 a: inanimate, inert; c: no longer producing or functioning; 4 a (1): lacking power or effect; (2): no longer having interest, relevance, or significance.
Hmm...I hope I'm not "doing nothing" for a long, long time.
