“It sounds somewhat ridiculous to say that one of the problems we face … is that we haven’t learned how to spend free time in a sensible way … whether America succeeds as a civilization will depend on the way we use free time.” – Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in “Finding Flow”, p. 64
Meanwhile, capitalizing on all the “Free Time” they can conscript, the woefully, willfully, wantonly “unwashed” are dumbing themselves down and numbing themselves out on stupefying, gratuitous, pandering indulgences, as well as with great swaths of both meaningless “white space” and nocuous “black space”, while multitudes of germinative, generative and regenerative opportunities go wasted.
The biggest disconnect here is calling the unperturbed moment “free time”. “Free Time” is, in fact, only “unscheduled time” used poorly.
Point to Ponder
If high school students are not college-ready, and if college students are not job-ready, and if legions of folks can hardly be declared “life ready”, and if multitudes are so bored out of their minds that they resort to playing mindless games and watching cat videos on YouTube, does it not follow that our greatest, but most poorly utilized resource of unscheduled time should be more purposefully engaged?
The tough part is … HOW?
- What would YOU do – productively – with a mere 5 minutes of unscheduled time?
- How about with 3-6 hours (the average daily television-viewing time of the “average” American)?
More Points to Ponder
- I. Malcolm Gladwell claims it takes 10,000 hours (5 yr. @ 6 hr/day, 7 days a week) to become a “star” performer.
- II. It’s possible to get a college diploma within six years with a purposeful investment of six hours a day.
Here’s a proposal:
First, acknowledge the problem. (Hmm … Sounds a bit like AA, doesn’t it!)
Next, look at all the passions and possibilities yet untapped or being left on the Field of Dreams.
Find YOURS. (Check out “What Color is My Parachute”.)
You want sustainability? People are always going to be hungry, thirsty, sick, dying and in need of both shelter and pharmaceuticals, whereas they may not have such compelling needs for designer clothes, cosmetics and high-end entertainment in an economic downturn.
Check out careers online: (e.g., http://www.careeronestop.org/ )
Check out the Khan Academy SUBJECTS and free courses (https://www.khanacademy.org/).
Talk to people who work in organizations you may gravitate toward with greatest affinity.
Then lay down tracks that can readily be engaged to keep the train moving forward in the unperturbed moment (i.e., so we DO know what to do!)
NOTE: You can acquire on-line certifications that will serve as stepping stones to advanced “licensing”? Why not create your own alternative university whereby you can master the material in your own “classroom of the universe”, then take certification tests? This could reduce a year’s college tuition from $30,000 to $4,000-8,000.
*[viz., Microsoft Certifications for MCSA/MCSE @ http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/mcse-certification.aspx]
What about tapping into resources for cultivating your passion and increasing “psychic energy” … for building – and constantly upgrading – effective self-mastery/life-mastery … for “Visioning” and “Vectoring”? Both reflective meditation and exercise are key elements here, building upon intensive personal research.
- How about “Word-A-Day” (http://wordsmith.org/)?
- How about preparation for ACS or SAT tests (NOTE: the full SAT practice test is available on-line at https://sat.collegeboard.org/practice/sat-practice-test)?
Need other suggestions?
Take a walk, read a book, ride a bike, take a nap, meditate (“Center Down”; reframe, reformulate), watch a TED talk, climb some stairs, mow the grass for an elderly neighbor, volunteer at a community center, etc.
With all of the above and beside that’s to be done to become who we’re still to become, what are we doing fawning over the top 25 TV shows – which are geared for only one purpose: To extract as much money as possible from the consumer via advertising and marketing products, which, for the most part, are completely unnecessary? (Excerpt from a review: “Season Six of Mad Men turned out to be its weirdest yet, prompting fans to go berserk on the Internet and spout out Lost-esque conspiracy theories about Megan dying, new accounts man Bob Benson secretly being a spy, a cop or—my personal favorite—Peggy and Pete’s time-traveling illegitimate son.”)
Yuck! “It’s not for me.” – Pope Francis
(May 2015, revealing the fact that he hasn’t watched television since July 15, 1990)
“Becoming” whoever we are to become won’t work, of course, without resetting/reaffirming our Dream/our Mission, without structure, without a stark make-over in priorities, or without strict discipline. We can begin taking opportunity and ultimate fulfillment to the next level as we keep turning the kaleidoscope for more Total Intentional Being … and more diligently applying our unscheduled time.
-Quartermaster
