Busy-ness. That's real power. It gives status. It rationalizes an infinite number of wrongs. It makes us feel useful. It dictates our meaning.
I'm not talking about business. One can ascend to the most elite level of busy-ness without ever going into business. No, I'm talking about the thing that gives Americans meaning...the thing that seems to make our otherwise pointless lives worthy of the four hours of sleep we get per night.
Busy-ness has become the heart of American culture. It is now the universal descriptor of our lives. As John Wesley's Methodist movement spread across America, leaders inquired of each other's lives with the question, "How is it with your soul?" Just a few decades ago, neighbors asked each other, "How's your family?" Then it moved to employment: "How's it going with work?" And now, when we really want to know how someone is doing, we ask, "Keeping busy?" And by chance if someone happens to ask, "How's everything going?" we make sure they know: "Busy."
But think about the answers: Soul? Fine. Family? Fine. Work? Fine. They didn't reveal much, but they at least indicated that there were no real catastrophes. "Keeping busy?" on the other hand, assumes catastrophe. Busy-ness is the ideal. It assumes, "Are you too busy to think?" "Are you too busy to spend time with your family?" "Are you too busy to get less than seven hours of sleep?" "Are you too busy to take a break?" "And please tell me you're too busy to take a vacation?" Yes, catastrophe is desirable, even admirable...even worthy of envy.
It's true. There have been numerous times I have found myself competing with my wife's stories of busy-ness at the end of the day. We have sat around in the living room or in the car "one-up-ing" each other. It's disgusting.
But she's my spouse. What about colleagues? Friends? Other family members? We have become slaves to busy-ness. It defines us. You are nobody until you are busy.
The great equalizer, it rationalizes (even pardons) a plethora of sins:
You forgot your son's baseball game? "I was just too busy."
You forgot your anniversary? "I was just too busy."
You didn't stop to help that stranded lady and her baby? "I was just too busy."
You didn't vote? "I was just too busy."
It's amazing how much is justified by busy-ness.
We were meant for more than busy-ness. We were meant for love, recreation, peace, worship, rest, work, discipline, creativity, reflection, and so many other wonderful things that busy-ness steals from us. Yet it is a thief to whom we gladly yield and submit.
The great god of busy-ness is a tyrant, oppressing his subjects with a trite pseudo-uselessness. The Creator-God weeps as we submit our lives to the imposter. Isn't it time we start living for more than busy-ness?
4 comments:
Hey Jonathan, I am not too busy at the moment to share my thoughts about what you have written.I am in total agreement with you. I in fact have even seen a bumper sticker that says "Look busy Jesus is coming!" Sometimes I wonder if the church is in on the whole stay busy thing.There are plenty of leaders in churches setting the example of staying busy and why wouldn't we follow?You can be left out if you don't stay busy in a church like joining a ministry or start your own but don't tell you about all the fine print that goes with the servanthood.Like lots of meetings and training which involves more sacrifice of other busyness "important times we so carelessly decided that is unimportant".I honestly believe we were not put on this earth to "stay busy" I think the busier we become the farther we become from God and the abundance of blessings he desires for us.Busy lives with close relationships don't seem to last. If you are too busy for somebody its seems difficult for a deep, meaningful relationship.Im am not trying to say I am not guilty of being busy because I do get busy but I have learned that staying busy has become meaningless to me and very tiring mentally and physically.I have learned that the busyness will suck the life right out of you and you won't even know it hit you.Our culture has put fear and guilt on the person who is not busy like you were saying people are measured by thier busyness.I have no problem just being, but I used to. I felt the harder I worked and the busyier I was the better I would rate,boy was I wrong.I have learned that we hear God in silence and just being. His voice has been speaking from the begining in silence and that is what scares a busy person into busyness.If we are always busy it is difficult to hear him or others.Do you think we could be too busy if we told others that we were spending our time in silence and stillness listening and just being in the awesome presence of God?I am not saying busy people don't hear God because they do.But what if we are only listening to what we want to hear and the busyness blocks out the stuff we dont want to hear?Well I will stop for now I am rambling on.Thanks for letting me share.
The great thing about zen, is all you have to do is breath.
That's an interesting thought...that churches are often leading the way in busy-ness. I have found it to be true though. I have experienced it myself, and I have seen it happen to my friends. There seems to be a Holy Busy-ness that churches claim. This Holy Bus-ness is somehow better than the regular/secular busy-ness because it's for God. But I'm wondering, like you, if this Holy Busy-ness is really for God. I'm pretty sure it doesn't honor Him. As you stated:
"I honestly believe we were not put on this earth to "stay busy" I think the busier we become the farther we become from God and the abundance of blessings he desires for us."
I'm wondering if perhaps Holy Busy-ness is really about the self (ie. how we look, how important we feel, how others watch us). The benefit of Holy Busy-ness is that we look more pious for staying busy for God. Forget that our families are falling apart. Forget that we are so tied up with the institution of church that we can't minister in the real world. Forget that we are sitting around unmotivated and depressed. Forget that we have lost our sense of meaning. We are serving the church, right?
I can't notice the people around me who are hurting if I am only wrapped up in my own to-do list. I can't see the immediate needs of my community if I am always hurrying off to another meeting.
I really like this statement you made:
"If you are too busy for somebody its seems difficult for a deep, meaningful relationship."
Right on. Busy-ness murders community.
17"Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return."
Gen 3:17-19
I reckon there must be an art to working hard, but keeping from being too busy. I know men who bust there asses daily to feed their families yet they're never to busy for them. I also know lazy men who don't do much at all, yet they're too busy for anyone other than themselves.
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