I completed my "Do Nothing Assignment" at the Vernon Area Public Library. On Friday, August 23rd I went to the library to start my homework with my friends before the weekend started. It's part of a plan I have to tackle Junior Year without getting overwhelmed by homework. After socializing for a little, we decided to head to a table and get down to business. As they all started their homework, I went to a corner of the library where I had a pretty good view of other people in the room, but where I wasn't in anyone's way, so that there was a smaller chance someone would interrupt me. I set a timer on my phone, and began.
I was told to approach the assignment with a "Beginner's Mind", or a mind empty of preconceived notions. I am a constant and fast thinker, and clearing my head proved to be quite difficult. A friend of mine who practiced meditating a few times told me that a common practice to clear your mind is counting from 1-10 and then back down to 1. If you have a thought, you start over. After doing this a few times, I was completely disconnected from my thoughts. I let my eyes wander where I felt a pull, and ended up noticing the different speeds people did things at. There were so many different types of people at the library, and they all were working on different tasks at different paces. The variety was unbelievable.
Next, I began to notice the way light reflected off of different objects. Some objects only absorbed the light, while others bounced it back and created a glare. Windows and computer screens reflected light, while poles and walls did not. This took my attention for what seemed like an eternity.
I heard one of my friends laugh, and I was pulled out of my state of concentration, but only a little. I focused back in, and continued to drift. I was drawn again to notice the light. So many objects I never expected were reflective. Books reflected the light. Cell Phones. People's glasses. Nearly everything. Of course, there were a few token objects that did not... skin. Ceilings. Keyboards. It was so interesting to see this game of give and take the world was playing.
Time had slipped away from me, and I continued to be absorbed. Eventually, my 10 minutes were up. It had seemed so long at first, but once I was completely focused in, the rest of the experience flew by. I sat back down in my seat at the table, and was left to reflect. In a way, we are all constantly playing our own game of give and take. Some people have a balance. Others are all take.
The universe is a constant battle of give versus take. If one person takes too much, they are forcing another person to give too much. Sometimes, excessive "taking" is accidental, like a friend wants their friend to always listen to them vent, but is never very good at listening. Some people do favors for everyone they know without ever asking for favors to be done for them. If our gives and takes are unbalanced, we as people become unbalanced, and usually wind up with problems. Depression, anxiety, and alcoholism are all diseases when you have been giving more than you have been taking. Unfortunately, usually the most giving people are the ones that see problems like this. People who have done more taking than giving rarely see a consequence, because they aren't missing anything. These are the people that have massive amounts of money, but never donate to charity. The friends that always need a ride but never seem to be able to drive when you need one.
We need to make a conscious effort to give as much as we take, and to take about as much as we give. It is the key to being a balanced and happy human being, and without it our whole sense of self can be thrown off.
