Friday, July 9, 2010

Frittering

Douglas Groothuis


I don't yet Twitter, but I do Fritter. I fritter away time. I go on little diversions throughout the day - I check in at espn, or peruse a few blogs, or play a game on the computer, or check Facebook, or ... I trust you can add you're own favorites. It's easy to make the argument that these  harmless activities provide a needed break from the routine of the day. 

Pascal argued over 300 years ago that it would be wise for me to ask why I fritter my time away. He didn't even have the internet, yet warned that entertainment and diversion would hinder happiness and ultimately lead to destruction. You can read more in this post by Justin Taylor.

I tend to fritter when I'm avoiding something. My frittering has less to do with taking a break than it does with delaying the start of work; it's a computerized version of cleaning the room before studying for the test. But the studying eventually takes place because the test is tomorrow. But what if the test isn't tomorrow?

Not everything of importance has a due date. I can take an hour to reflect on the direction of my life or  I can make that one on one conversation with my child happen today, but I don't have to. I can always do it tomorrow ... or the next day. It's not that Frittering takes up so much time that I can't do the important stuff, it's that Frittering keeps me occupied, it keeps me distracted so that I don't even think about the important stuff.

The longer you don't think about the important stuff, the more terrifying it is to set aside the Frittering and reflect on your life, your calling. But one day the due date on life comes to pass. One day we all give an account for what we did with the one life we were given.

I'm not sure the way forward, but I'm pretty sure it's not playing a computer game. 

What about you - is Frittering a harmless distraction or something more?