In Praise of Wasting Time (TED Books)

by Alan Lightman

The edges of that “time mesh” are cold and hard. Each day, we must cram ourselves and the events of our lives into it.

We need a mental attitude that values and protects stillness, privacy, solitude, slowness, personal reflection; that honors the inner self; that allows each of us to wander about without schedule within our own minds.

To develop new habits of mind, different groups must use different methods.

For college students, “introspective intensive” courses created by each academic department. Each student would be required to take at least one such course each semester. Introspective courses, while based in the particular subject matter of the department—for example, history or chemistry, would have a reduced load of reading and assignments and encourage students to use the free time to reflect on what they are learning and relate it to their lives and life goals. Such reflections might be expressed in essays or other creative activities.

For teaching practice

But shouldn’t we who created that world take more responsibility? Of course, we are victims ourselves, but we are also the perpetrators. We are both prisoners and jailors.

We cannot return to that world, nor would we necessarily want to, but we can create some of that space within our world today. We can create a preserve within our own minds.