Feb 20, 2022

The Paradox of Busy

By Charles Eisenstein / mudwtr.com
The Paradox of Busy

Sometimes, when people reach out to me with requests for interviews or writing, they preface the request with, “I know you must be very busy ...”

Usually, they say it as a token of respect. They mean to acknowledge my time as precious and I receive that impulse gratefully. Yet I notice something else stirring in me, too: a paradoxical mixture of pleased vanity and annoyance.

The vanity: If I’m busy, it must mean that I’m really important. It must mean I am in high demand. It must mean that I’m on track, motivated, active. That’s why being busy has become a “humble brag”—a way of bragging without seeming to brag, an assertion of dominance.

The annoyance: If I’m busy, I’m not the master of my time. I am subject to the demands of others. I suffer a scarcity of time. Claiming to be busy is therefore a gesture of submissiveness. I won’t say no to you directly, but meekly excuse myself by appealing to outside demands. I am not sovereign over my time; my schedule is.

Both these reactions mirror an unmet need. Under annoyance is a loss of power, while under vanity is a longing to be what the false self-image represents. If I’m flattered to think of myself as in-demand, on track, motivated and active, could it be that I long to be in-demand for something other than what life demands of me now? Could it be that I wish to be on a different track? Could it be that my motivation is flagging and my activity growing stale?

The mixed connotations of busy arise ultimately from the nature of work in modern society. Much of it is underpaid, tedious and degrading, and even meaningful work, such as in teaching and healing professions, usually accompanies unpalatable demands from bureaucracies and institutions. We wish to be less busy—free of the oppressive demands of modern living that make time scarce and life short. We also wish to be more busy—engaging more fully with life through meaningful work and relationships.

My point, therefore, is not to condemn the word busy, to complain when people assume I’m busy, or to suggest we say instead that we are engaged, occupied or have a lot on our plate. Euphemisms will not deliver anyone from the misalignment between the demands of modern life and the demands of the soul. Nor is there an easy way out of the dilemma in which we are cast.

A New Terablithia, acrylic on canvas by Tony Chen

Paradoxically, many people experience being busy, stressed, sleep-deprived and not having enough hours in the day even though, objectively, they spend a lot of time at leisure. Watching TV, playing video games or mindlessly scrolling through apps may look like leisure, but they feel compulsive. The resolution of this paradox is akin to that of wanting simultaneously to be more and less busy: I want to be in command of my time. I want to be sovereign over my life. I want to be free to do things beautifully and well. I want to live with dignity.

I am sure these desires are universal. No one truly wants to laze around, frittering life away in indolence. Try it for a while: You won’t be happy. To be sovereign over time and life is not the same as being selfish. Laziness is not the default state of those who fail to motivate themselves. Laziness is a rebellion against oppressive busyness and it is a refuge from mental, physical or emotional exhaustion.

Those of us who long both to be less and more busy, trapped in cycles of procrastination and hurry, sloth and stress, even mania and depression, might find that motivational tips and tricks and New Years’ resolutions and the habits of highly successful people offer little long-term benefit. What has helped me, though, is to recognize the authenticity of my longing—my longing to be busy with a life I love, to hold my time sacred, to be put to the very best use. Grounded in that truth, I become less susceptible to the forces that would keep me busy with anything else. Holding my time sacred, I naturally hold others’ time sacred, too. I become reluctant to comply with anything that puts anyone to poor use.

Thank you for taking a few minutes of your precious life to receive these words. I know you must be busy.

 

Charles Eisenstein is a public speaker and author. Stay up-to-speed with his work via his website, or subscribe to his Substack mailing list for weekly essays and musings.

Header image by Robert Bye via Unsplash.

Rate this article 
Culture
New Videos
Activist Philosophy & Reflection
Trending Videos
Project 2025 Explained in Schoolhouse Rock Style!
5 min - The song that could save America. Share widely. Written, animated and performed by Jason KravitsProduced and mixed by Sean Dixon with Jason Kravits, Christopher Walz, and Brian O’Neill
Israeli Soldiers Sickening War Crimes EXPOSED
18 min - The Footage The BBC Won’t Show You Join the Future of Journalism ► https://www.patreon.com/DoubleDownNews  Richard Sanders is a film maker, journalist, author and director of the full Al Jazeera...
Why Trump Is So Dangerous
22 min - In this video essay, OCC examines the disaster of another Trump presidency and the implementation of Project 2025. In short, Trump will build a fossil fascist regime that would not only be...
Closer to Home: Voices of Hope in a Time of Crisis (2024)
34 min - This 35-minute film is a united call for a new economy, delivered by those who have committed their lives to working for systemic change. We live in a time of multiple crises, from climate chaos...
Jill Stein's Controversial Campaign: Grifter or Savior?
23 min - Jill Stein is being used as leverage by Republicans, Democrats, the far right, and leftists alike because of the failure of our electoral college system. But a vote for Jill Stein is not the...
"Anti-Capitalism" is Capitalist
12 min - *click-baity headline*, but read Capitalist Realism! We need to encourage ourselves to go further than we have gone before and push beyond vague, passive anti-capitalism towards the values and...
"On Thin Ice": Western Nations Crack Down on Climate Activists with Arrests & Jail Terms
20 min - As the climate crisis continues to accelerate, wealthy governments in the West are clamping down on climate protest. According to a new report from Climate Rights International, demonstrators...
Gun Violence and Reform
Wondering What to Watch? Try These First
Subscribe for $5/mo to Watch over 50 Patron-Exclusive Films

 

Become a Patron. Support Films For Action.

For $5 a month, you'll gain access to over 50 patron-exclusive documentaries while keeping us ad-free and financially independent. We need 350 more Patrons to grow our team in 2024.

Subscribe | Explore the 50+ Patron Films

Our 6000+ video library is 99% free, ad-free, and entirely community-funded thanks to our patrons!

Sign up for our Email Newsletter