Today's
Meditation:
I
often wonder what people like Emerson would say about the
way that entertainment has become so important in our
cultures these days. It's not so much that
entertainment is negative, but that it's a passive
activity for us-- once we turn on the TV or go to a movie
or go to a sporting event, we're being entertained and
we're not using any of our creative powers at all.
It's
very easy when we have a free moment or three to turn on
the TV and sit and be entertained. But it would also
be nice if we could find a pen and paper and draw
something during that free time. It would be nice if
we could write a few lines of poetry, or a quick note to a
friend who's far away. We could read something
educational or uplifting, or we could make a nice little
gift for someone we care about-- or for someone we don't
particularly care about, but who really could use a nice
little gift.
There
are times when we need to relax and be entertained.
But there are other times when we allow ourselves to fall
into the trap of being entertained. We make a choice
to pursue passiveness rather than look for something fun
and creative to do. And while there's another trap
at the other end of the spectrum-- that of always needing
to do something and never relaxing-- we still have a choice
to make almost all the time. And I'm pretty sure
that when we choose not to use our creative abilities in
our spare moments, we're not creating bright gems that
will sparkle for the rest of our lives.
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