為什么我們都應該擁抱“無所事事”的甜蜜藝術?

為什么我們都應該擁抱“無所事事”的甜蜜藝術?

A very long time ago, someone without any friends, who people crossed the street to avoid and probably worked himself to death said, "The devil makes work for idle hands to do."

很久很久以前，有一個沒有朋友的人，人們?yōu)榱硕惚芩┻^馬路，他很可能工作到死，他說:“魔鬼為游手好閑的人干活。”

And, unfortunately, for many of us, those words stuck. And so sloth became a deadly sin. If we can't be busy all the time, at least, let's make it appear that way so the devil doesn't get any ideas.

不幸的是，對我們許多人來說，這句話仍然適用。所以懶惰成了一種致命的罪。如果我們不能一直很忙，至少，讓我們讓它看起來像這樣，這樣魔鬼就不會有任何想法。

If you're looking to embrace la dolce far niente, a good solid tree could have your back. (Photo: frankie's/Shutterstock)

But then there's the Italian philosophy of dolce far niente. It literally means the sweetness of doing nothing. It was most famously articulated by a man sitting, appropriately enough, at an Italian barbershop in the movie "Eat, Pray Love."

但還有dolce far niente的意大利哲學。字面意思是什么都不做的甜蜜。在電影《美食、祈禱與愛》(Eat, Pray Love)中，一名男子恰如其分地坐在一家意大利理發(fā)店里，說出了這句話。

From barbershop chairs to font porches to public terrazas, Italians have been living la dolce far niente for centuries. And so far, the devil hasn't shown up.

從理發(fā)店的椅子到字型門廊再到公共的特拉扎斯，幾個世紀以來，意大利人一直生活在遙遠的尼恩特。到目前為止，魔鬼還沒有出現(xiàn)。

Rather, the philosophy embraces easy moments: Take the dog for a slow walk. Let her lead the way. Find a nice perch — a park bench or a patio — and look at all the people passing by.

相反，這一理念包含了簡單的時刻:帶著狗狗慢慢地走一走。讓她帶路吧。找一個不錯的落腳點——公園長椅或露臺——看看所有經(jīng)過的人。

If you're one of those people who need structure, even in leisure, there are precious few guidelines on getting started.

如果你是那種需要結構的人，即使在休閑的時候，也很少有寶貴的指導方針。

For one thing — and in a society that starts staring at screens early in life, this might seem like work at first — unplugging is essential. Banish the beeps, buzzes and all the pretty lights of your online self. No Facebook. No news sites. No reading this … unless it's on a printed page.

首先，在一個很早就開始盯著屏幕的社會里，這乍一看可能像是工作，拔掉插頭是必要的。消除網(wǎng)絡上的嗶嗶聲、蜂鳴聲和所有美麗的光芒。沒有Facebook。沒有新聞網(wǎng)站。不要讀這個…除非它在印刷的紙上。

Another thing? Don't fret the time you spend out of the matrix.

另一件事嗎?不要擔心你花在矩陣之外的時間。

A park bench with a friend who doesn't talk too much is also a good way to practice the art of doing nothing. (Photo: takayuki/Shutterstock)

With screens off, chores skipped and worries about tomorrow gone, you might be surprised by all that extra space in the day — and how naturally nothing activities ooze in to fill those gaps.

隨著屏幕的關閉、家務的跳過和對明天的擔憂的消失，你可能會驚訝于一天中有那么多額外的空間——自然沒有任何活動可以填補這些空白。

"What if instead of saving up seven vacation days out of 365 to finally enjoy life, you spread those out in hours among each day?" Long asks. "What if you didn't look at Saturday/Sunday as your only day to cut loose and chill out?

“如果你不是把365天中的7天用來享受生活，而是把它們分散在每天的幾個小時里，那會怎么樣?”“如果你不把周六/周日看作是你放松和休閑的唯一一天呢?”

"Maybe you sit and read a book. Maybe you stare out the window or balcony and listen to your favorite musician. Maybe you learn how to whistle … What can you do today to begin doing nothing?"

“也許你坐下來讀一本書。也許你凝視著窗外或陽臺，聽著你最喜歡的音樂家的音樂。也許你學會了吹口哨……今天你能做些什么來開始無所事事呢?”

Those are big, important questions worth pondering. If only you were in a pondering mood. But let's embrace la dolce far niente — and take a nap instead.

這些都是值得思考的重大問題。要是你在沉思就好了。不過，讓我們擁抱《甜蜜的天使》，還是睡個午覺吧。