I don’t like meditation. I prefer that feeling that you get, and the benefits that come from letting the mind wander. According to psychologist Ron Friedman, 72% of people get their best ideas in the shower(1) and I just love the freedom of thought that comes on the rare occasion that I have a massage. Why isn’t there a name for that?
Here’s one; AIMLESSNESS
Meditation doesn’t do it for me
Some people love meditation but I’ve tried it, and it’s not for me.
Firstly I dislike the constant effort required to steer your thoughts in one direction and punishing yourself when you lose concentration. Focusing so much on nothingness, which is not something you need in your daily life, doesn’t seem like a worthwhile venture to me. Apparently, I’m not the only one who finds the challenge of mindfulness stressful as John Cohen shared a very similar view in The Economist in 2016:
“the problem with scheduling meditation as part of that working day is that it becomes yet another task at which you can succeed or fail. Those who can’t clear out their mind need to try harder – and the very exercises intended to ease anxiety can end up exacerbating it.” (2)
The second problem that I find with mindfulness and meditation is that, whilst it provides some relief in the short term, hours or days later I end up feeling more stressed or anxious than I did in the first place. Rather like a drug; what goes up must come down. I feel quite good during the meditation and clear headed afterwards but, and I’m quite sensitive to these things, once the affect wears off I feel a kind of come-down of anxiety. I guess I could do it more frequently and prevent the come-down, but why get addicted to something which I don’t need?
Introducing; Aimlessness
Have you ever had a really good massage? A two-hour relaxathon where you drift away to the calming music and scented candles? Have you ever noticed how many things you can think about in 2 hours of nothingness? Is that part of the reason why people like massages in the first place?
The modern world keeps us all busy. You listen to music on the walk to work, podcasts on the train, movies when you’re bored, or computer games. You pop on the radio when you’re cooking, maybe some mindless comedy in the evening and then perhaps a good book to fall asleep to. Now I love to keep myself entertained; I never board a plane without multiple means of automomous entertainment available, but where does all this leave us with time for reflection? Is there a time in your day, or week, where your mind just has time to wander. To ponder? To reflect on what has passed and what is to come?
This is the exact opposite of meditation, the opposite of mindfulness. With meditation, you are supposed to keep your mind in the now, pushing away the past and the future. Your boss pops into your head; “acknowledge it, accept it, and let it go”, your vegan meditation teacher will tell you. That’s how to relax.
I beg to differ. Doesn’t life have enough rules? Enough limits on what you can and can’t do? Isn’t it more logical to relax by allow your brain freedom to do what it wants, rather than restricting it even further? The freedom to run wild and see what awaits it?
The benefits of Aimlessness
Aimlessness can bring many benefits. Firstly, it’s relaxing – literally. Your brain is your biggest muscle and allowing it to rest is like sitting down after a hard game of tennis. In the middle of the most stressful day, 10 minutes of aimlessness can make you sharper and more energetic.
The best thing about Aimlessness is the ideas that it brings. People have their best ideas in the shower or bath, because they are unknowingly practicing aimlessness. The problem I have is that I get too many ideas during aimlessness, and so it’s knowing when to stop. Today I spent 10 minutes aimlessly and I came up with two ideas, one of which was to write this article. Who knows, perhaps if I’d given it another 10, I might have come up with the next Harry Potter !
A final word
Aimlessness is something I’ve been thinking of for a while, but I only coined the word today (29.11.21). I had a quick search on the internet today for similar concepts and I found this article from Gretchen Rubin, who shares a very similar opinion.
https://gretchenrubin.com/2020/08/opposite-of-meditation-is-recess
References
- https://www.businessinsider.com/people-get-their-best-ideas-in-the-shower-2016-9?r=US&IR=T
- Cohen, J: Minds turned to ash: The Economist, 29 June 2016. Accessed 29.11.21 at https://www.economist.com/1843/2016/06/29/minds-turned-to-ash (subscription required)
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