THE ART OF DOING NOTHING By Rado Gatchalian Jungkook, a global Korean pop superstar of the BTS band, uttered in his recent livestream on 02 February 2023 at Weverse platform that he has not been doing anything – and that he likes it – NOT DOING ANYTHING. He said that if he were to be reborn, he wanted to be a “rock.” He was absent for months in social media until he decided to do this livestream in Weverse. To some extent we all feel this way at one stage in our life. AND IT’S OKAY. Life is a constant process of moving. We need to get up in the morning, prepare for the day, work, work, work, go home, rest, sleep, and wake up again in the next morning. We are always busy. At the top of our work – because we need to earn and survive – we also need to do various social commitments, catch-up with our friends and family, and personal activities such as shopping, exercise, and so on. It doesn’t stop, until we get so exhausted and tired. Then, we question why we do all of these? We come to an existential crisis, and we become agitated and confused in finding the ultimate purpose and meaning of our very existence. AND IT’S OKAY – if we feel this way. HOWEVER, we need to be consciously aware that if we need to stop and pause, we should be fully in control in what we do – and not do. The Zen art of doing nothing is precise in this context of becoming aware of the present moment. Jungkook’s “Be a rock” is a simplification of a reality that we need a break. Life can be too exhausting that we lose the motivation and passion to live a happy life. This moment of recess is our way to recharge and to get rid of excess. And like Jungkook, do not feel guilty about not doing anything. WE ALL NEED TO HAVE A BREAK AND RECHARGE SO THAT WE CAN REFILL OUR EMPTY VESSEL. We need to cultivate this positive mindset in order for us to appreciate and maximise the full benefits of rest and silence. It equates to peace. Sadly, our modern times with its advanced technology and prevalent social media footprints have subconsciously and unconsciously influenced our behaviours and attitudes. We have been too preoccupied to meet the social expectations and pressure to have an “online presence.” Many people feel the need to do many things – so that they can post many things in their social media. A quiet life has become a thing of the past. This is sad, and this is dangerous. Life has become so “noisy” that ironically instead of people feeling happy, they feel sad and depressed. Social media has become a sad tool for us to lose our genuine social connection and responsibility. The world has become too close yet too far, too small yet too big. Thus, this is a critical reminder for all of us to become a rock, occasionally. Be a rock. Be still. Be quiet. Be at peace. Be aware. Be at the Present. TODAY. So that TOMORROW, we can regain our authentic self. BE WHO WE REALLY ARE. And we can only find this when we allow ourselves to enjoy solitude. DO IT NOW. DO NOTHING. SO THAT TOMORROW WE CAN BE EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING WE WANT TO BE. TODAY, BE A ROCK. TOMORROW, BE A STAR.
