This morning the news was reporting on a new " toy. " I'm not certain that it is a toy exactly but a fad perhaps. Well whatever name you want to give it they were talking about those " fidgets " that people have begun to carry with them. They loosely resemble a gyroscope but are not gyroscopes. Really they are just a shape with a ball bearing in the center. You can spin the thing on this central ball bearing. It is supposed to relieve stress and anxiety. Seems like I remember people carrying a ball to squeeze at one time for the same purpose. I suppose that became to much effort as your forearms would tire and we wouldn't want to exert ourselves.
Now I can see playing with these fidgets when you are bored. As far as relieving stress and anxiety I'm not so certain about the therapeutic effects but it can't hurt either. I wasn't aware that they had become so popular. My grandson was playing with one a couple weeks ago while we were waiting at the hospital. It really wasn't very entertaining in my estimation. I can understand the name fidget, as that is what I was doing with it, fidgeting. When I saw it on the news this morning I was reminded of an old adage my Grandmother used. Strange how the older I get the more of these old adages I remember and apply ! I wonder if there is something to that ? Whatever the case I was reminded of, " idle hands do the devils work. " This exact statement is not in the Bible but has a basis in that manuscript, as does many of those old adages we all learned as children.
It seems to me that we are now trying to find as much as idle time in our lives as possible. It is also the reason we feel this need to be entertained twenty four seven. Not that this is a new thing but these fidgets are designed to do just that, occupy our hands and offer a distraction. But , just what are we being distracted from ? Idle hands do the devils work means we are getting ourselves into mischief of some kind. We are not being productive, I think that is what Grandma meant by using that statement. In her day there were many chores that needed to be done everyday. Over the years we have devised all sorts of labor saving devices. Even when we are doing the same action we can do it much faster. Nowadays we talk about multitasking as if it is some amazing achievement. I'd say the old folks did that as a matter of course. They certainly didn't have idle hands, at least not for long. Things would go south pretty quick if you didn't take care of business.
The truth is there is always something that needs to be done, something productive. In this modern age those things may be fewer but they are still there. We take up hobbies these days to fill a void. I do believe we all have an instinctive nature to stay busy, to be productive. In the old days we would channel all that into everyday life. Life was a full time job in years past. Now we have far more leisure time on our hands. This certainly has lead to, shall we say, less than productive behaviors. Is it possible that we have too much time to think and question everything ? That doesn't seem possible does it ? Well, idle hands do the devils work, and idle minds may wander from the truth. To be productive one has to remain diligent. Life can only be enjoyed when you do your due diligence. Failing that you are easily fooled and mislead by others. Buddha said, " To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life ; foolish people are idle , wise people are diligent. " I was surprised when I read that quote as I hadn't heard it before. It is pretty much what I was thinking. It did confirm a thought I have expressed many times. There is little you can say that hasn't been said before. I do believe the truth has been repeated many times. The only question is, when will man learn it ?
Now I can see playing with these fidgets when you are bored. As far as relieving stress and anxiety I'm not so certain about the therapeutic effects but it can't hurt either. I wasn't aware that they had become so popular. My grandson was playing with one a couple weeks ago while we were waiting at the hospital. It really wasn't very entertaining in my estimation. I can understand the name fidget, as that is what I was doing with it, fidgeting. When I saw it on the news this morning I was reminded of an old adage my Grandmother used. Strange how the older I get the more of these old adages I remember and apply ! I wonder if there is something to that ? Whatever the case I was reminded of, " idle hands do the devils work. " This exact statement is not in the Bible but has a basis in that manuscript, as does many of those old adages we all learned as children.
It seems to me that we are now trying to find as much as idle time in our lives as possible. It is also the reason we feel this need to be entertained twenty four seven. Not that this is a new thing but these fidgets are designed to do just that, occupy our hands and offer a distraction. But , just what are we being distracted from ? Idle hands do the devils work means we are getting ourselves into mischief of some kind. We are not being productive, I think that is what Grandma meant by using that statement. In her day there were many chores that needed to be done everyday. Over the years we have devised all sorts of labor saving devices. Even when we are doing the same action we can do it much faster. Nowadays we talk about multitasking as if it is some amazing achievement. I'd say the old folks did that as a matter of course. They certainly didn't have idle hands, at least not for long. Things would go south pretty quick if you didn't take care of business.
The truth is there is always something that needs to be done, something productive. In this modern age those things may be fewer but they are still there. We take up hobbies these days to fill a void. I do believe we all have an instinctive nature to stay busy, to be productive. In the old days we would channel all that into everyday life. Life was a full time job in years past. Now we have far more leisure time on our hands. This certainly has lead to, shall we say, less than productive behaviors. Is it possible that we have too much time to think and question everything ? That doesn't seem possible does it ? Well, idle hands do the devils work, and idle minds may wander from the truth. To be productive one has to remain diligent. Life can only be enjoyed when you do your due diligence. Failing that you are easily fooled and mislead by others. Buddha said, " To be idle is a short road to death and to be diligent is a way of life ; foolish people are idle , wise people are diligent. " I was surprised when I read that quote as I hadn't heard it before. It is pretty much what I was thinking. It did confirm a thought I have expressed many times. There is little you can say that hasn't been said before. I do believe the truth has been repeated many times. The only question is, when will man learn it ?
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