Random Thoughts by Shelley: Idleness as a way to original thinking

We owe most of our great inventions and most of the achievements of genius to idleness – either enforced or voluntary. The human mind prefers to be spoon-fed with the thoughts of others, but deprived of such nourishment it will, reluctantly, begin to think for itself – and such thinking, remember, is original thinking and may have valuable results. – Agatha Christie

Ever have one of those weeks when time flies by so quickly, you miss doing something that you like to do on a daily basis? Frequently what happens is we give up the important things in life like exercising and eating right. We end up rushing through things just to keep a float. I tend to think that when we are going at warp speed, we don't taking enough time in the "idleness stage". The stage where we are open to thinking of things in an innovative way. We tend to get to the point where we search for answers from others instead of creating the answers or seeking a new way of looking at things and solving it on our own. Is it really nourishing to our creative minds to simply get the answers? Or is it better to create the answers by taking time to think things through? I guess it depends upon the situation and the time available. Either way, idleness provides the time and the opportunity to do original thinking.

Yesterday, I chose to take a break from blogging, while I enjoyed the brief break, I missed it. I enjoy blogging everyday. It forces me to take a break from my daily routine and think of things differently. At the end of the day, still giving myself permission to skip one day of blogging, I was looking out our back patio door. The sun was melting the snow on the roof and creating the effect of rain falling onto the deck. That's not really anything original or creative. With the sun shining through the "rain" it reminded me that spring is coming and it will soon be nice enough to sit outside, relax and pause life for a moment or two.

As I was looking out through the window, the images made me want to grab the camera to capture the moment. Then I started thinking and wondering about the people who designed the camera and the digital features. I'm amazed at how it can capture all the things I see when I look out the window. How it can adjust to different views and create unique images still amazes me. Perhaps, someone who was just sitting there thinking there must be a way to capture what we see on a medium past our thoughts, had to have had a role in the design and features of a digital camera? The results of just sitting idle and looking out a window allow the opportunity to pause life. The mind is truly amazing when we give it time to create, think about things differently, and not just accept the first answer. Thank goodness for idleness and innovation!

Thanks for stopping by ~ Happy Saturday ~ Enjoy the idle moments in your day!