The Active Versus Passive Mind.

AI generated re-creation of
The Thinker sculpture by Auguste Rodin sculpture.
Software used: Vision FX 2.0 by Distinct AI

 Active vs. the passive mindset-- Would you rather ride the train or just watch it pass you by?

Once again my daily life has provided me with the idea for this article. I simply cannot believe how often I'm inspired to write by just the simplest in small events.

Today is a holiday Monday here in British Columbia Canada and when I went downstairs for lunch someone asked me what I did today. I rattled off the following: "Helped an elderly person with their computer issue. Did another section of my online course in computer science. Researched a few technical problems on my blog...." They looked at me for a moment and said "Yes, but what do you like to do for fun?" To which I replied "It's the same thing as what I just said." Then they said "Okay, what don't you like to do?" My reply was (and is) "Waste time." They looked mildly astonished and that was the end of the conversation.

Now please don't get me wrong, I do occasionally like to have a day off where I just relax, but it is not my regular state of being. My curiosity and desire to add something to my life each day are driving forces. I simply cannot abide just sitting there watching the train go by. At the very least I'm going to ride that train. For me life is far too short and far too precious. I do not believe in an afterlife, but even if I did, I would not want to waste each day. The very fact that I can interact with the world and be aware of that interaction is something that I find amazing. It is obvious as well that to be alive and sentiment might be quite a rare combination. I course as I get older I become aware even more it each day is short. So bottom line, I am not going to waste it by being passive and just watch life go by.

However, it seems that there are a lot of people, at least in my surroundings, that to want to just let the train of life go by rather then ride it. Now don't get me wrong, I do occasionally like to have a day off and just relax. But it is not my default state. Hearing from people that they would rather just chill out and continually not really participate in the life just price me a little crazy. Because I want to do the exact opposite.

Right now, I want to  understand this passive point of view. As you can probably tell admit quite a number of people like this. Many of them very bright and young in their 30s if not late 20s. As I write this article I am pondering ways to understand their behaviour. They must be getting something out of it. Could it be their life is so empty that they just are used to going through the routine? I don't think so. Several years ago, when I was waiting to move in to my current assisted living building I spent some time on a respite ward while I was waiting. The room was small but I did have my laptop with me and the staff were very enthusiastic that I was there. I didn't spend my time watching TV, rather when I heard from the staff that the floor's Wi-Fi was intermittent, I got on the phone to the local provider and because of my background in IT was able to work with them to clearly articulate the problem. Ultimately they sent out a technician and the issue was found and fixed. This is what I like to do, --fix things-- it just makes sense to me. I had previously assumed that this was the way life worked. That even if people more outwardly motivated, there was indeed something driving them inside. I still think this is true. Human race simply wouldn't have evolved if we were content to sit on a rock.

So is this mental passivity, of just letting the train go by, a symptom of something I touched on in an earlier article (To benefit from Challenge, Is the Meaning of Life) , aversion to challenge, and could it be that people are losing their ability to undertake challenging tasks or projects. Could then the default reaction be "Since I'm uncomfortable with challenge and the time it takes, I will just sit on the sidelines and watch things go by."  Boy, oh boy, I hope that's not the ultimate answer to this question. Still, the answer just doesn't seem right. Life itself is not passive. It does not just sit there. It finds ways to multiply and at the very least exist. Given a long time life usually ends up thriving in the most unlikely of places and environments. The hot acidic underwater vents come to mind.

I have no one people who outwardly appear to be mentally passive and content to watch the train go by but many of them are just deep deep thinkers. They consider an issue and relish solitude in order to devote themselves entirely to the matter at hand. They can be quirky and eccentric but I'm telling you their minds are active. The very antithesis of this situation I'm describing.

Over the past few months I have tried to motivate some people here and the seemed to gravitate back to their original state which is in my book wasting life. I remember my parents saying "What do you want to do when you grow up?" I always had an answer and it might be electronics or playing a musical instrument. At one point I nearly next my father to death about building a steam engine out of coffee cans and plastic tubing. (I was probably around six years old then. At the time it seemed completely logical to me.)

Okay, we have definitely defined that I'm different among my group in this building... But I sure would like to motivate some of the other people here. It seems like it's such a waste to be alive and not take advantage of it. Yes we are all disabled, and some of us have some pretty severe conditions. For the severest of which I understand where they want to keep your life simple. It is not those people I am pondering about, it is the people that are sufficiently adapted to their situation that they do have a choice on how they proceed through life.

The benefits of an active mindset are many. For one thing you enjoy life the very state of being. You see potential and change all about. It is impossible to have an active mind and not be curious. The active mindset also has the ability to carry you through rough times. If you are stuck and can't do anything about your situation you automatically look for other avenues that you can effect. Someone came up to me yesterday and asked where they would purchase a "wheelchair wraparound desk" the Canadian paraplegic popped into my head. They would probably know where to get one. There are enough people in the workforce that I'm sure even the local Staples office furniture store might have some in stock. Again what blew me away about the request was that the person had absolutely no idea where to start and they have been in their wheelchair for life.

… I think I just figured this out. I think, and please do tell me if you think I'm wrong, it's the one the difference between myself and people with passive mindsets is that "challenge" as being part of my lifestyle as far back as I can remember. My father had polio and was one of the first, if not the first practising disabled anaesthesiologists in Canada. Since I was born in 1959 this is quite some time ago. Can you imagine the challenges he faced. There were no accessibility laws or standards and if you've ever been down a old sidewalk you will note that not only are there no cutaways the sidewalk is very high. My father could walk with braces but that would mean he would really have to swing himself to get up and down on sidewalks. Talk about challenge. I think that is it. So how do we bring useful challenge into the modern lifestyle. How do we make things a wee bit difficult but keep them meaningful.? Definitely let me know what you think.

Take care for now. Patrick