I saw the new movie, The Descendants starring George Clooney the other night. It was a great flick about embracing ones past and the future it presents, and there was a quote that stuck with me. When Clooney's character is discussing inheritance for his kids, he says something along the lines of, "I want to give them enough to do something, but not enough to do nothing".
That's a brilliant way to think about it.
These days (and as a goal for this year in fact) I find myself in want of doing and experiencing more things. I want to go places, see things, and I'm not even referring to grand vacations necessarily. I want to go to several museums in Alberta this year, I want to go to a car show, it looks like I'll be going to the Rockies a couple of times this summer too. The idea that we should be content to stick to a routine or adopt entirely predictable habits is a bad one.
Having enough money (or time in a lot of cases) to do something is just as important as the personal time to do nothing. However, the goal shouldn't really be to do nothing at all, the goal should be to have the freedom to do a bit of everything as you see fit. Rich or poor, it's easy to be lazy. Finding new ways to be passionate about life takes work.
The lesson perhaps, and what I took away from that quote, is that we should feel accountable to the decisions we make in the pursuit of our own happiness. We should feel a bit pressured to experience things while they're there to be experienced. Whether you realize it or not, your time is actually your own. And, it's enough to do something.
2 comments :
Well said. I agree in a mighty fashion.
I second that motion. I feel less and less the need to waste time and more the need to spend it doing something to move me forward. Lazy moments are good for recovery of mind and motivation, but too much and you'll find you're left without either.
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