The Art of Being Idle

Author: (French) Vincent Weina, Lanna Photography, Hu Yiumeng Translated
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Life is so busy that you feel like you're about to get sick! Stress and frustration make it hard to breathe! How long has it been since you listened to your intuition, strolled, or watched the sunset? Doing nothing, daydreaming can alleviate your anxiety; slowing down, learning to procrastinate can also clear pressure. The measure of happiness is the frequency of sighs in ease. Let us teach you wonderful methods to shake off depression and plant seeds of tranquility in your heart. Doing nothing doesn’t mean being idle all day or avoiding responsibilities; it means taking a moment each day to breathe deeply, sorting out chaotic emotions, savoring the beauty of the universe, and finding peace in your heart. Beautiful, leisurely photographs relieve visual stress; wise words persuade your rationality; elegant designs satisfy your aesthetic desires; simple, easy-to-follow stress-relief methods purify the air you breathe, and ancient remedies from Europe, Japan, and India guide you to rediscover the youth of your soul.
Whenever dear friends or family kindly suggest we relax—take a deep breath, take a break—we instinctively resist this advice. Slowing down takes too much time. This generation is made up of doers; we spend our lives trying to make things happen. We firmly believe that nothing is impossible in the world, except for doing nothing. To us, the state of doing nothing is a luxurious indulgence, an impossible dream outside the track of life. Yet, are we not always searching for that elusive void in the wrong places? A tranquil heart is not a rare flower that blooms on remote islands or mountain peaks; you don’t need to cross the ocean to find it. "Relaxation" is actually a plant in your backyard—a hardy shrub. Though we keep trying to pull it up by the roots, it never abandons itself. This book is designed to help you cultivate the seeds of tranquility. Whenever you breathe, wait, or listen; halfway through a meal or stuck in traffic; or during anxious moments like rushing to catch a flight or piecing together a report, you can learn to relax. Of course, you don’t need anyone to lecture you or persuade you of the benefits of relaxation, but your mind needs to be tempted. You must understand some things through reason to convince your mind that occasionally relaxing is good for you. If you can’t convince your rationality, you’ll feel guilty the moment you slow down. So, please keep reading. If you’re lucky, you’ll find some sweet, heartwarming words in this book.