In praise of wasting time
By: Alan Lightman ; illustrations by Dola Sun
Contributors: Sun, Dola, illustrator
Edition: First TED Books hardcover edition.
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 102
ISBN-13: 9781501154362
Copyright date: 2018
Subjects: Divergent thinking; Creative ability; Psychological aspects; Time perception; Creative thinking; Time management
Description: "In today's frenzied and wired world, we are obsessed with the idea of not "wasting time."  But have we lost the silences and solitude so essential to our inner lives?  A great deal of evidence suggests the value in wasting time, of letting the mind lie fallow for some periods, of letting minutes and hours go by without scheduled activities or intended tasks, of unplugging from the grid.  In this vital investigation of the rush and heave of the modern world, Alan Lightman explores the technological and cultural origins of our time-driven lives.  More importantly, he reveals the many values of "wasting time", for replenishing the mind, for creative thought, and for finding and solidifying the inner self.  Lightman urges us, as both individuals and as a society, to break free of the idea that not a second is to be wasted and to discover that sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all."--Dust jacket flap.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references.
Table of contents: title: A village in Cambodia; title: The grid; title: The rush and the heave; title: Play; title: The free-grazing mind; title: Downtime and replenishment; title: Chronos and kairos; title: Half mind.