I am physically lazy, and mentally hyperactive. Consequently, I love moodling.
"This week I learned a brilliant word, “moodle,” or in its gerund form, “moodling.” To moodle is to engage in an act of divine laziness, that lovely inactivity that leads to moments of creativity and inspiration. [...]
Our culture (by this I mean Puritan-based American ethics) frowns on moodling. Platitudes such as “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop” (forgive me if I’ve misquoted--I’ve spent the last ten years trying to forget sayings like that) are drummed into the American consciousness from birth."
5 comments:
I agree with the basic premise of this post. Inactivity is a prerequisite to creativity. The reason for this is that it allows one to keep the direction of attention inwards for extended periods of time in order to let the "channeling" mechanism to work.
But I don't understand the need for a new word ("moodling"), or the reference to laziness. It only becomes laziness if you never act on the creative ideas thus generated.
Also, I don't think the word is very descriptive anyway. Moodling seems to come from the word "mood", which associates to emotion. Intuition, or channeling, has nothing to do with emotion.
The key is to alternate between periods of inactivity (idea generation) and activity (execution). It's about balance, that's all.
Platitudes such as “Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop”.
Makes no sense to me. Think Paganini for instance. His hands were anything but idle, and some people thought he was an incarnation of the devil.
What'd be a better word?
There is already a word for it: meditation. People mistakingly believe that in meditation one has to sit still. No at all. If you move, it is called moving meditation.
The idea is to engage in a physical activity that does not grab your attention, but that keeps you occupied enough to sufficiently shut off external stimulus.
In classic Indian meditation the activity is chanting a mantra (i.e. making a repetitive sound with your vocal chords). In yoga, the activity is asana practice (after you practice it long enough, it becomes completely automatic believe it or not).
The following often work too: washing hands, brushing teeth, and washing the dishes. Taking a shower. Basically any activity that can run on autopilot. One of my personal preferences is walking.
And for those who are new to this. Doing nothing at all doesn't work because your attention moves to your thoughts.
While trying to search out the definition of this word I came across some interesting results and these related definitions.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=moodle
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=faffing
There were several blog posts that were close to the definition given by Eolake, but those authors haven't bothered to put it in the urban dictionary or any other I could find.
The best one cited Brenda Ueland in her 1937 book "If You Want to Write: A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit" as the creator of the term with this quote.
"So you see, imagination needs moodling-long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1555972608/curtrosengren-20/103-8784584-1691041
So that's my contribution due to moodling on the web today.:D
Kronostar, haha.
TTL, there is clearly a big overlap with meditation. But I think the general understanding of meditation is a more regimented activity.
Post a Comment