“Don’t just do something, stand there!” I credit Deacon Pierce Hewlett (1916-2005) in my childhood Episcopal congregation for teaching me this wise play on words as a reminder to slow down and think things through before acting. My mother often reiterated it to me as well. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve ignored this advice only to wish I hadn’t later. Even now, I struggle with the real-time, instant-gratification, high-priority, please-expedite nature of life in the 21st Century urban environment. Everything is so instantaneous these days, and I’m not immune to that expectant pressure in the air. Why isn’t my DoorDash order here? Why wait till Amazon Day when I can get my item tomorrow for just a few more bucks? Why does Instacart Express take two whole hours for just a few items? Like Violet Beauregarde, I want it now!
I know I’m telling on myself here, but those are honestly my first thoughts sometimes. I have to consciously remind myself that measured time is just as commodified as anything else is under capitalism, and that doesn’t mean that time flows faster if you pay more money. Life takes time. Tasks take time. Processes take time. And I am not the only person in the world. Just get in line and wait. Don’t just do something, stand there.
Another important thing to remember about rushed thoughts is that our instantaneous first thoughts are often not our own but rather the conditioning we’ve been raised in. Our second thoughts are usually our own true self responding to that conditioning. Instead of reacting with our first thoughts, we should wait for those second thoughts and respond to the situation based on those instead. Don’t just do something, stand there.
As a spiritual exercise, resisting the urgency of the moment – whether real or implied – can take practice to achieve. I’m not there yet myself. But I have at least learned to breathe when my work supervisor gives me a task that could be considered high-priority. Quiet, careful analysis of the task and the steps to complete it – whether other people are involved, whether money is involved, whether there’s a deadline attached to it, those sorts of things – helps me slow down, calm down, and avoid the busyness of the workday. And that helps my spirit’s wellbeing, my mind’s anxiety, my body’s stress, and of course my heart’s desire to help others.
So don’t just do something, stand there. Breathe. Observe. Think. Respond. Resisting the rush and urgency of our technologically augmented lives is a revolutionary act, and a spiritual one as well. The unhurried moment is where we can experience the world not through measured time but through the eternal now. And it’s amazing how much one can accomplish when in tune with the present without worrying about the future.