The Dangers of Idleness

After returning from Spring Break and often covering up potential awkward silence with the obligatory, "How was your break?", I have come to the conclusion that boredom and idleness are some of the most dangerous states of mind. Most everyone automatically says their break was great. This is often followed with, "I laid around on the couch and did nothing!" If you delve a little deeper, you discover these people were actually bored out of their minds, but "there was just nothing to do..." The only thing I can equate with this weird contradiction is a McDonald's value meal. They seem so wonderful and delicious at first, but then you feel depressed the rest of the day after eating. I was fortunate enough to work four 10-hour days over the break and spend Friday and Saturday working around the house, and it really wasn't a bummer. I don't intend to sound self-righteous for having been productive, but I will take that kind of week over watching re-runs of That 70's Show any day. It may be because I'm mildly OCD, but I believe much satisfaction comes from expelling some "virtuous energy" as a mid-19th century Presbyterian minister put it. There is always the danger of becoming a workaholic and rest is certainly a necessity, but I think our culture is a little too infatuated with the holiday, the weekend, the couch, and the snooze button. I'm guilty of hoarding all of these, but I hope I never find myself saying, "There's nothing to do", and if someone whines that same verse to me, I hope I can be patient enough to suggest there is plenty to be done without giving them a swift kick.