Everything has begun because I read on Facebook this question "Do animal waste their time?".
I immediately thought that the first thing which had to be cleared was the meaning of "wasting time". Even if we can easily understand what it means, I think we can't just limit to use the human scale and proportion to Animal World.
I searched through the web for the word's etymology and it seems that the word "waste" comes from the latin's word "vastum", which primarily means "vast, extended, wide, desert" and so on.
And so, from this word naturally comes "devastate" , "to make a place empty/void/desert" because, de + verb" in latin was a prefix normally used to strengten the sense of another certain word.
But the root, "vast" it remained the same as a name in french and italian, in english on the contrary it slowly changed into a verb, which, saw from the literally mean, it perfectly gives the picture of the meaning.
So, "wasting time" is to make the own time "void/empty/deserted". We, as human beings, feel this unpleasant sensation when we're caught in apathy, which, if prolonged for a quite long amount of time, may flows into depression. To avoid this, we work, we do art, we search through the world what amuse us, we set goals to achieve, we explore, we try, we experience. Animals don't. Apparently they don't have any "missing part" in their spirits, they don't feel any lackness about anything.
That's why I don't think animals waste their time, just because we're talking about two different natures, two different ways about how to live.
No time is actually "wasted". When we sleep, we use that time to regenerate our body and minds (also to reprocess information we acquired throughout the day), when we just sit and think it helps us come to new conclusions, reach to new ideas and so on, when we fall into apathy, when we almost become depressed to the point we obsess about time, well it helps us understand its nature, it gives us the time to think about the meaning of life etc etc etc.
RispondiEliminaAnd we can't even say "time spent in BETTER ways"... there are no "BETTER" ways to spend time, only DIFFERENT ways.
It's a common way to say... anyway...
RispondiEliminaI know, I know... but I was just sharing why I don't think humans can "waste" time :)
RispondiEliminaYou are actually right, and what you say it's true.
RispondiEliminaBut I know certain people who does not what you say. In your point of view, I definitely agree, even doing anything physical through the day is effectively "wasting time".
But those people I know, and surely you too, are entered in a kind of "vicious spiral" which hasn't a way out. I mean a kind of unavoidable depression which fuels itself.
I can make you a gross example of the mental process I'm talking about : i'm not doing anything -> I do not worth anything -> if I do not worth anything, it's not even necessary that I try to do something, cos I wouldn't be able to do that, so -> I'm not doing anything.
And well, I'll not talk about the causes and means with which this cycle persists and regenerates, because it's not my matter and we'd analyze case by case, but it isn't the right place.
On the contrary, I just intended that in cases like this, we can really talk about "wasting time".
I digress: even while trapped under "that mental process" (I know what you mean, I've lived it too) you're not wasting time... you're facing a situation that hasn't happened to you before, or a new angle to the problem.
RispondiEliminaBasically, you're trying to solve an impossible equation. And the recurring answer to it is: life is meaningless, nothing I do will make the difference, I am useless.
At a certain point thou, when you experience something, anything! A word, an image, a sound, a movement! You start seeing things in a different way and you reinforce this new perspective by looking at others, at what they have achieved and strive do the same... or even better, even if it's meaningless in an absolute way (but at least it's YOUR contribution to the Universe, right?)