Probably the most common phrase uttered by my father is, "you have too much time on your hands." A phrase that sounds innocuous for a young'un like me, but the more he says it when I'm browsing the Internet, the more I despise it. I would show him a YouTube video or read aloud an article from Elite Daily, but his response is almost always limited to those mere eight words, and the original intent of the video is buried under the notion that I am 'not busy enough'.
Let's get to it:
My father is the type of man who uses work as the grease to the cogs in his body. Without it, he wouldn't know how to function. Because of this, he sees idle online browsing as something that this generation conjured up and heavily criticizes it. Of course, I see where he's coming from; perhaps my 12-hour Internet marathon in the comfort of my bedroom isn't the best option physically, but it's more so the idea that 'doing nothing' and having 'too much time' is inherently something that we should be ashamed of.
This generation needs constant stimulation the way babies need diaper changes and breast milk. We need to be immersed in stories, videos, pictures, and adventures otherwise we would deflate from the unbearable ennui. This constant need to be spoon-fed entertainment of some sort stemmed from the proliferation of computers, and ever since then, our brains couldn't bear the silence that the previous generation was so accustomed to. The multiple platforms online made the reticent more outspoken, it made us creators, learners, and armchair experts—we are the beta version of our parents.
Those born prior to Generation Y look at our lackluster activities with condescension. It's the way our bodies are now molded to the folds of 4-wheeled armchairs and how our fingers have the dexterity that they never had. We are a new generation of thinkers, and it's the 'doing nothing' that helps us evolve.
Our 'doing nothing' is never really 'doing nothing'. Having 'too much time on my hands' is just another way of saying that I have chosen to stimulate my mind during times where normal work doesn't take place. This generation's idle time isn't at all similar to our parents, who would ride their bikes and lounge at the park naming clouds while listening to the radio. On the contrary, our idle time—our so called 'spare time'—is perpetually stuffed with stimulation, both important and unimportant. We have learned to adapt to new information as if our brains have a 'save as' button the moment we process something. In our spare time, we like to watch videos of fat prairie dogs and gifs of Taylor Swift's awkward dancing, but between the mindless chatter that the internet produces, we soak up information and knowledge like a sponge.
To my parents, my 'doing nothing' seems unnecessary, and that having 'too much time on my hands' is detrimental to my well-being and bright future. In reality, it is in these moments where I learn most. Amidst work from uni and internships, I spend my time learning how to play the guitar, about the inner workings of the Vatican City, or about the Maasai people of Kenya and Tanzania. There is so much to learn and so much to do online that it is only during our 'spare time' that we are able to access this cornucopia of knowledge.
Not only is 'doing nothing' undermining our mental effort, but it is something incredibly necessary for us to function properly. Just like how the older generation cannot work without...well...work, the younger generation cannot function without catharsis in the form of idle time, both online and offline. So when an adult complains that we have 'too much time on our hands', there is some truth to that. I do have too much time, and I hope that I will always have too much time, because in that fleeting moment is where I find the drive to learn, read, write, and swallow information that I otherwise wouldn't have the time for.
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