Now that many people have lost work and social activities, it is time to do nothing. But a little lanterfanten proves to be quite difficult in practice, even experienced writer and journalist Maartje Willems. In her book Nothing. The Art of Lanterfanten She explains why.
Her book is actually a plea for nothing. Explain.
“We live in a very fast-paced world where we have to do everything. Personally, I like to be a bit lazy from time to time. But I notice that people quickly have negative associations in the word ‘lazy’.”
“When it was Time Magazine an article appeared about The Dutch art of doing nothing I was surprised. It was a question of us in the Netherlands having a special word for it: nothing. But funnily enough, we’re not very good at it ourselves, while it can be really nice to be a little aimless. It will reassure us. “
What exactly is nothing?
“Really nothing is really very difficult. My definition of nothing is: “Don’t do any activity and there are no plans”. One day of Nexflixen is not included. Meditating is also of no purpose. Namely, that you can calm down and observe your emotions and thoughts better. An important feature of nothing ness is that it is of no use at all. Think of things like staring out the window a little.”
But nothing is useful, isn’t it? So you write in your book that it is good for your creativity and brings more peace and satisfaction.
“That’s right. But that should not be the aim. Because the beauty of nothing is that it doesn’t have to be useful.”
Why do we find it difficult to do nothing at all?
“This has to do with the fact that we like to feel useful. I used to look at Oprah a lot, and her slogan is: Live your best life. An inspiring statement in itself, but it also makes you set the bar high. Because nothing is no room, then you don’t make the best of your time.
Do you think you’re nothing easier than usual now?
“Of course, this does not apply to people with a vital profession, but to many other people. The social pressure has disappeared. If you know that there aren’t all kinds of parties or fun activities that you miss, it’s much easier to hang a little aimlessly on the couch.”
Do you have any tips on how to do nothing?
“Yes. Sometimes you get caught for a moment doing nothing. Often you feel guilty and you start doing something useful. At a time like this, try to stretch the nothingness a little. You don’t have to plan, it doesn’t work. Waiting rooms are eminent places to do nothing. Don’t reach for your phone, just stare in front of you.”