The importance of knowing how to do nothing in a society that increasingly demands that we do everything. All the time.
During this period of recess, I reread a children’s literature book that provoked some reflections on leisure in our lives.
The book “Nada de Presente” (Editora Girafinha) tells the story of two friends: the dog Earl and the cat Mooch. Mooch wants to get Earl something for his birthday. In his search, and after much thought, he decides to give “nothing” to his best friend. But the cat has a challenge ahead: in a world with so many things, where would he find nothing? And he starts to observe what people say about this “nothing”. The owner always turns on the TV and complains “there’s nothing on the TV”, but when he goes looking, he finds a lot of things. The other owner comes home and says: “nothing at the mall”. But she goes there and finds lots and lots of things. And so, on a journey in search of nothing, the cat Mooch bumps into everything!
Based on this plot, author Patrick Macdonnel makes a reflection on the load of stimuli and information we receive at all times, which makes nothing a true luxury item. It can be a moment of silence, tranquility, an afternoon free from obligations, a starry night, a sunset, the calm of being able to leave “everything” for tomorrow, the company of your best friend. Things that are difficult to achieve in a society that is always doing something.
How has this way of living without anything affected children? What behaviors have been encouraged and learned since childhood? In the documentary “The Beginning of Life” (which we always recommend in our pedagogical meetings), “nothing” appears as the main element of integral and quality development.
As paradoxical as it may seem, nothing is a lot. It’s idleness, free time, emptiness, silence. It’s about playing, building, exploring, investigating, groping, tasting, discovering for yourself.
Domenico di Masi, Italian sociologist, precursor of the concept of creative leisure, believed that society, in an incessant search for productivity, forgets to value moments of pause and reflection. For him, time should not only be measured in terms of efficiency, but also in terms of quality and depth of experiences. His legacy invites us to rethink how we live and how we educate our children, valuing leisure as a form of human enrichment.
British psychologist Sandi Mann, author of the book “The science of boredom”, explains that boredom is the brain’s search for stimulation, when it is not satisfied with some activity or with the lack of activity. Boredom helps us to be creative and stimulates the imagination. In fact, it’s not the boredom itself that gets the credit, it’s what we do in response to the boredom.
When we hear a child say that he has nothing to do or even before this complaint, we, adults, feel guilty and offer extra activities to the child. As neuropsychologist Deborah Moss says, “the child does not need attention all the time. She also needs to be connected with herself, she needs those moments in which she learns, little by little, to be good company for herself”.
Screens should not be the answer. Screens replace other experiences and are the quick response to any expression of boredom and this ends up preventing the child from experiencing the environment and having other experiences, other perceptions. By abusing the use of screens, children also lose another important skill: waiting.
Leisure is something spontaneous, it flows. It’s when you have nothing to do, you are faced with emptiness and instinctively look for creative ways to fill and connect with the present moment.
Deborah Moss, neuropsychologist
This holiday, allow yourself nothingness! And you will realize that you have everything!
By Karla Righetto
Pedagogical Director of Escola Infanzia