March 23, 2003
Manifesto of Frivolity
We live our lives with far too much seriousness. We've been taught by either the protestant worth ethic or capitalism to take almost everything with seriousness. I personally remembering spending lots of time planning vacations to ensure the maximum amount of fun and relaxation, and while they resulted in lots of personal growth and meditative times they were some of the most exhausting weeks I've ever had. In addition, who can't remember at least one family vacation in which your mom or dad turned into the field trip teacher nazi from hell?
We need to live our lives with less sense of everything being deathly serious, and enjoy and look for the frivolous things in life. Why is too much trouble to act a little crazy while cooking or doing your laundry? Or singing strange songs to yourself about cleaning? or even, philosophic-ruler forbid while at work!
We spend so much being serious that stress is literally making us sick. The Holistic Online reports that the "American Medical Association stated that stress was the cause of 80 to 85 percent of all human illness and disease or at the very least had a detrimental effect on our health." If stress is making us sick why don't we do something about the stress? I don't know.
Children know intuitively how to deal with the stresses in their lives. They play, they laugh, and nothing is serious. If an adult is being silly or frivolous someone will invariably interrupt their fun by stating "why don't you just grow up?" Why must being serious being a synonymous part of growing up? Aren't we allowed to still be frivolous and still grow up?
Many would argue that an adult is someone who has grown beyond frivolity and is now serious, and while I will not deny that growing up us making being serious a greater part of your life, we have a tendency to over do it, being always serious, all the time. Why not say if a child is serious 30 percent of the time and frivolous 70 percent of the time why as an adult should we be serious 95 percent of the time and frivolous only 5 percent of the time? Why not follow our children's advice a little and be serious only 70 percent of the time and frivolous 30 percent of the time? Or even why not a 50/50 split?
Employers have acknowledged some of this by giving employees more flexibility in their schedules and tools like paid time off, but even in this your expected to be taking your paid time off for a serious purpose like an illness, dental appointment, or taking care of your sick children. Why can't you just take time off because you feel like it?
Companies also know that frivolity can create great ideas. Innovative corporate cultures have relaxed atmospheres where people have fun together. Take a look at Google as an example. When people are relaxed they're more productive. Smart companies know this, and create relaxing atmospheres, and they get results.
Life is to short to live seriously, so have fun, look for the frivolous and let yourself off the hook.
Nick,
I agree with you. Just today I glanced through a training curriculum about stress -- how it invades our lives like a giant amoeba, growing huge and enveloping our being. Yet, the most effective method of stress release is humor -- a laugh here, a laugh there....a little bit of not taking ourselves so seriously.
And, what is there to take seriously? The reality is we are so insignificant and have no power other than the internal force that keeps us afloat -- the laughing bubbles that act like a secret gas to help us soar like big balloons.
Thanks for all you write.
/lisa