Otis Redding Had It Right

I'm sittin' on the dock of the bay Watchin' the tide, roll away Ooh, I'm just sittin' on the dock of the bay Wastin' time...

Otis Redding Sittin' On The Dock of the Bay

I think Otis Redding had it right. Not that I'm advocating to squander away our days with nothingness. But I will suggest that it might not be a bad idea to, well, waste some time.

The reason for this is that the world keeps clamoring for everything to go faster, faster, faster.

We shell out some pretty good money to attend entertainment and sporting events and then demand that they get over as soon as possible.

That doesn't make sense to me.

Back in 2014 the NBA experimented with a 44 minute game clock. In touting it, the claim was that the games would be over in less than two hours.

Recently, this writer suggested that the 24 second shot clock has always been too long, and suggests that it should be cut down to 16 seconds. That would not necessarily cut down on the length of the game but would make the games seem faster, Faster, FASTER!

Of course we all know that Major League Baseball has implemented the use of a pitch clock which has taken nearly an hour off the length of a baseball game. MLB attendance numbers are up this season, so apparently it's working.

I still have to wonder, however, if I'm attending an event, and having a good time while I'm there, whether I paid for it or not, why I would want it to end as quickly as possible? I mean, most of us face enough issues in our lives that a little escapism I would think would prove to be healthy. Why demand that escapism be as short as possible?

The proliferation of technology, such as smartphones and social media, has created a constant stream of information and distractions that can make it difficult for some individuals to maintain focused attention. Additionally, the fast-paced nature of many aspects of contemporary life, including work demands and the expectation of immediate responses, can also impact attention and contribute to a feeling of being overwhelmed.

In today's fast-paced and digitally connected world, finding time to relax and unwind can indeed be a challenge for many individuals. However, relaxation is still essential for our well-being, and there are various approaches and strategies that people use to relax.

Given the right events, we will still make time to go and engage and relax. To that point, we had no problem spending three hours and twelve minutes watching Avatar 2: The Way of Water.

There is something that idle time and mind wandering can achieve.

According to this article, the free time Rod Brooks had as a child, allowed him self discovery and development that would lead him to tremendous success in the world of robotics.

Again, I'm not suggesting that we all idle away every minute of every day. But I can't imagine our lives would not be enhanced with time to disconnect and let our minds wander and create. And if that happens to take a little extra time every so often, so be it.

Now if I could just make my way to that bay...