Idleness

*just a thought that occurred to me as I woke up this morning.*

Did it ever occur to anyone that the reason that depression and other mental illnesses have become so prevalent in today’s society is not due to genetics or exposure to toxins or anything along those lines, but rather that it is due to the fact that as a society, we have become idle.


Idle hands are the devils playground, or so the old saying goes. We no longer have to work from sunup to sundown, tending fields and animals, building structures and trading for what we needed to survive. Now, if you are hungry, you can buy a hamburger from McDonald’s on your way to wherever you’re going. If you’re cold, you turn the heat up, or buy a blanket from Wal-Mart.


The advent of technology has given us ample time to sit idle. And yes, I am counting watching TV, surfing the internet, and playing video games as sitting idle. As we sit in front of our various electronic toys, we have time to sit and brood and dwell on all the negatives of the day. Didn’t get that job, paycheck was too small, bills need to be paid, bad grades, bad luck with the opposite sex, what have you. Instead of rising with the dawn, or even before, and working though the day until the sun sets, we’re rising with the lunch truck, and then staying up to all hours of the evening.


This was sparked by a sudden burning desire to have a farm or something that required a good portion of my time to maintain. Yes, my children do require a good bit of time, but as they get older, the time is more varied, and less in length much of the time. Even my 10 month old daughter is very independent and would rather play by herself much of the time.


So that’s my two cents. It’s not directed at any particular person, save perhaps myself. It just seems to me that as a society we have become idle and this could be, if not a reason, than a major contributing factor in the massive rise of depression and mental illness in our society.

Any thoughts?