Resumed green watching. Not easy for an overworked blogger like me. Green awareness has fallen at the bottom of my list. At the same time, I am so busy working, that I have little time to consume energy, other than the electricity to power my laptop. No driving, minimal grocery shopping, making do with whatever is in the fridge, and hardly any cooking, have translated into minimal energy use. Of course, it helps that I work from home, and that I have been biking everywhere.
The lesson. I do not recommend everyone works as much as I do. But there is something to be said for getting lost into one’s work or passion. A state of flow, such as I have experienced lately, does not leave room for consumerism.
I think helping people to engage in meaningful cognitive activities is a big part in solving our consumption problem. You have to replace what is there (“consuming”) with something better (working).
You’ve experienced it now, but I know it for some longer time. Work beats *anything* out there. With the exception of intimate moments with friends, family or kids… Those two experiences can’t really be compared to each other.
“I do not recommend everyone works as much as I do. ”
As long as you like the work of course. In any case… Once you have tasted it, you can’t really go back anyway. You’ll keep looking to come back in that state of mind again.
I do.
With me psychological flow (I’m not a complete fan of Csikszentmihalyi, but like his labeling of the concept) doesn’t necessarily come with work, but is a deep state I fall into where the rest of the world fades away. Sometimes when I draw, sometimes during math or physics, sometimes during athletic activieis. An athlete I know becomes totally detached when she is playing and it is only the the three others on the court, the ball and the net – nothing else.
I’m busy during work, but rarely enjoy the intensity of flow – there are too many interruptions.
On Sunday I started on a problem at about 6 am in the living room. About 11am I found myself in another room with quite a bit of progress and almost no concept of the passage of time other than I was really hungry and thirsty.
When I worked at Bell Labs it was socially OK to go into “cave mode” and fall into intense thought … you could turn off your computer and phone.
It is very pleasant and even addictive:-)
Yes, and I wish more people could experience this. The overall happiness index for our country would go way up if that was the case. This should be encouraged in school more.
Our real ill is not pollution, or even consumption, but our lack of deeply satisfying experiences.
Steve rightly mentions athletic activities as another very good source of “flow”. For me, it’s not sports, but dancing. I just love to do things with my body, while having music as my guide. On the other hand, I could not imagine doing only physical activity. For me using my intellect is an essential source of my happiness.
Marguerite, I think our school system (I think this applies to the USA as well as The Netherlands, and quite likely throughout the world) is part of the problem. It establishes cognitive activities quickly as something you do because you have to do it, instead of because you want to do it. There are very few children who discover the joy of learning. I’d say this only happens accidentally.
The availability of internet access in every home certainly increases the chances for a child to discover the joy of learning, outside of the compulsory (and therefore non-satisfying) school curriculum.