Fortunately, There’s a Cure (for Busyness)
“Don’t just sit there, do something!” has been the marching order of modern life. But maybe the wiser advice, long buried under deadlines and to-do lists, is the reverse: “Don’t just do something, sit there.” After all, if you can’t put your feet up at three, what exactly is the point of getting old? The art of rest begins here.
In a culture that treats exhaustion like a badge of honor, rest is the one luxury we rarely boast about. We count our steps, tally our emails, and log our errands, but few of us admit to an afternoon nap with the same pride. Somewhere along the way, stillness got confused with laziness, and leisure with wasting time. Yet every wisdom tradition—from the Sabbath of the Hebrew Scriptures to the Taoist art of wu wei, “effortless action”—has insisted that rest is not an escape from life but part of its rhythm. Even science now backs them up: our brains consolidate memory, spark creativity, and heal the body most powerfully when we step away from the grind.
The Culture of Busyness
Busy has become the new badge of importance. Ask someone how they’re doing and chances are the answer will be “busy.” For many, especially in America, busyness is not just a state of life but a statement of worth. The paradox, of course, is that the more we cram our schedules, the less present we become to the life we claim to be living. Seniors, perhaps better than anyone, have the perspective to see through the illusion. With years behind them, they know that hurry often hides emptiness and that meaning is found not in motion but in attention.
We have even turned rest into a productivity project. Apps now monitor our sleep and then keep us awake checking whether we slept well enough. The cult of busyness may make us feel important, but it rarely leaves us feeling alive.
Sabbath and Sacred Idleness
The ancients knew something we often forget: rest has to be protected, even commanded. The Hebrew Scriptures call it Sabbath—a day when creation itself rests. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called the Sabbath “a cathedral in time,” reminding us that holiness is not only found in places but in pauses. Taoism urges the practice of wu wei, or effortless action, encouraging us to align with the flow of life rather than force it. Buddhism, too, teaches the value of stillness, of sitting and breathing without agenda. The common thread: without rest, life itself falls out of balance.
Traditions outside religion have honored the same truth. Italians speak of il dolce far niente—the sweetness of doing nothing. The Dutch have their own word for it: niksen, the art of doing nothing with intention. (We took a deeper look at this in an earlier article: The Quiet Power of Niksen.) Across cultures, rest has always been recognized as essential to human flourishing.
What Science Now Shows
Modern science is catching up to ancient wisdom. Neuroscience tells us that during rest, the brain is anything but idle. In sleep, memories are consolidated, the immune system strengthens, and the brain clears away toxins. Short naps sharpen focus and reduce stress. Even daydreaming, once scolded as distraction, is now seen as essential to creativity. Johns Hopkins researchers have shown that rest improves learning and problem-solving, while the NIH reports that chronic lack of sleep undermines nearly every aspect of health.
Studies also suggest naps may reduce the risk of heart disease, while sleep deprivation increases the likelihood of falls and cognitive decline in older adults. One retiree described how reclaiming the nap became a daily ritual: a half-hour each afternoon, curtains drawn, not as an indulgence but as medicine. “It’s amazing how much brighter the world looks when you open your eyes again,” she said. The message is clear: rest is not indulgence—it is restoration.
The Gift of Later Life
As we grow older, the art of rest takes on new meaning. It is no longer about recovering from the frantic pace of work or raising children. Instead, it becomes a way of honoring the rhythms of the body and the seasons of life. Rest becomes reflection, a chance to savor rather than to strive. Dorothy Parker, one of the great wits of the 20th century, once remarked, “The cure for boredom is curiosity. Fortunately, there is no cure for curiosity.” To which we might add: curiosity finds its footing only when we stop rushing long enough to notice. Rest, in this sense, is the soil in which wisdom grows.
Practicing the Art of Rest
So what does rest as an art form look like? It could be as simple as a weekly digital Sabbath, setting the phone aside to let silence speak. It might be an afternoon nap, not as a guilty pleasure but as a ritual of renewal. It could be time in prayer or meditation, a quiet walk in nature, or even the discipline of doing nothing for fifteen minutes.
Some turn to mindfulness apps, which are helpful reminders—but rest doesn’t require a subscription. It can be a cup of tea on the porch, an hour of gardening without checking the clock, or simply lying back and letting the sky pass overhead. Rest is not passive. It is an active choice to live at a different pace, to trust that life continues even when we pause.
Closing Thought
Our culture may insist that busyness is the cure. Fortunately, we know the cure for busyness is rest.
Question for Reflection
When was the last time you treated rest not as the absence of work, but as its own kind of presence?
Read our Spiritual Signals post on how traditions speak of the sacred art of rest.
Related spiritual themes: aging well, elder wisdom, inner life, rest, second half of life, world religions
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