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Inaction

Do you feel guilty when you do nothing? Meaning - do you feel that you are useless, that nobody cares when you don’t do anything or are you capable to relax and wait for the moment to act?

167 Responses to “Inaction”


  • Doing nothing takes a lot of guts

    I aggree one shud stop doing things which does’nt make any sensce
    to him it would be a silent suffering and perhaps would be killing ones dream

    But then one only realize his or her dream by walking on a wrong
    path by suffering so i believe to go on but then to take a break
    and shud introspect to reflect the rite YOU

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  • a man told a reporter that he’s going to kill himself and told the reporter to record his action. the reporter agreed. soon, he sold the tape to a TV station and he became very popular. when people asked him whether he felt guilty or not, ha said that he did nothing…

    He did nothing and that’s his fault.

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  • I do feel very guilty when am just doing nothing or when I have nothing to do. But I do make up my mind saying that nothing is permanent and that 'THIS TOO SHALL PASS', and I try to relax and do things I like the most, and always do BELIEVE that definitely our time would come where we could act and prove ourselves. So always be ready for the action for it could come anytime…..

    P.S: Hi Paulo this is my first post here(though am following your blog for a long time), and am an ardent fan of urs and like your writings so much. I personally feel that your blog has motivated me so much… Thanks so much Paulo….

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  • Hello Paulo and friends,

    this is a good question for me because i was recently laid off and have nothing to do now. i feel extremely lonely and sad and yes useless when i am not doing anything. and i feel guilty for my parents who work hard and support for me. anyway, i do not like this inaction so i think i should be moving on. love

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  • How can a man miss the as yet unknown?
    A hint of a future he longs to be shown

    “No expectations”
    Seemed a safe place to start
    Yet the cool mind is silenced
    By a beat of the heart

    & in the quiet stillness
    How long is an age?
    To wait or to move
    The dilemma to gauge

    My destiny my own, not a possession of fate,
    I trust it to Love; her timing innate

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  • lo más productivo de mi vida, el cambio más radical, surgió tras un tiempo de inacción. solo funcionaba la cabeza; me dejé llevar por la pereza; no hacer nada…absolutamente nada; solo dejar que mis pensamientos volaran de uno a otro sin intentar controlarlos. dejaba que ellos me hablaran solos. solo me dediqué a escucharlos. era como si un ser superior me mandara mensajes a través de ellos. le hice caso; lo escuché. tras quince días…vi la vida de otra manera y desde ese momento escucho en silencio sus mensajes en lugar de estar tan activa que no tenga tiempo para nada más. escuchar al más allá requiere inacción.
    un abrazo y un beso a todos.

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  • Inaction paralyzes you. It takes longer to get started again, even though you are conscient of what is happening. It is procrastination in a way. I don’t like it, I like to keep moving.

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  • My soul is hurt, every minutte, so I write in hope of a better world. peace and love is in my heart

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  • My soul is hurting every minute when I don’t do anything to write something to get a better world. This earth is hurt by humans, and my soul is sad about that. My dream of peace and love, live in my heart and I do not accept what is happening, but that is just my thoughts

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  • I feel guilty… I waste my 21 years of life on doing nothing…
    In fact i waste my 21 years on waiting for change…
    All the time my life is changing…
    But it isn’t that what i’m waiting for..
    Do i wait for miracle?
    Or… Do i wait for grow up?
    Finding sense?
    See what “real life” is?

    hm… Maybe IT is a miracle of life?

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  • Right Action is what is important.I have spoken with many people who cannot relax and sit still to reflect because they believe that they must be “busy” all the time (the classic “doing” rather than “being”.
    Paulo: your books are a tremendous inspiration but they do not GIVE people the answer; rather they help people to find the answer that they has all along.

    Inaction can be a great thing when reflecting.

    “Busy” people sometimes are not busy enough when it comes to focussing on what really matters.

    You are where you are today because of the actions that you have taken (and some of those might have been to “do” nothing).

    Let’s all find our own balance and learn from the past rather than live in it.

    “the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; but the second best time is TODAY” (added by Mobile using Mippin)

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  • I am growing big.
    I am doing an audit.
    I am inacting the goodie in me.
    and extracting all the baddie.
    I find it very rewarding.
    Cloud nine I hope is coming.
    I am going to go and see my sweeties.
    I am starting to do some new painting.
    That makes me really happy, happy, happy me.
    I am glad I am still in the process of learning.
    It is quite adventuring.
    Even when the paper is running thin.
    Because I still have something of a good thing in the thing a magi
    I am sure you know what I mean.

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  • I thought a bit more:
    I probably am a very lucky person: I can dream now. I got that ability to believe in myself now, and tell myself, that I do not have to be reallistic, I can do whatever I want. I can dream. I just never done it before, I think. Life would always “help” me. And now I can be inactive and look inside of myself. Too bad, I do not see nothing.. I guess, it is my time to learn how to. It is better to have it now, than never, right? What if I won’t see anything? What if I do not see anything right now? Paulo, do you have any advise or idea?
    So I do feel inadequate now, after people asked me what do I do. I feel like I can not classify myself. And I feel some uncomfort because of that. (At the same time, of cause, I would hate to classify myself ;)) I want to believe I am special) Besides, I also would like to achieve self-realization. For that I should learn about myself. And you can do it even when you work. Or, actually, work helps. )) How do you learn about youeself anyway? at work you see yourself making choices. When you had isolated yourself from others like I did, how do you learn about yourself? How do you learn about yourself without influence of cultural structure? What is there without culture? Me? Who am I? I don’t get new ideas without some starting point I get from cultural experience. Who am I? Being… Inactive being. Very egoistic one. Otherwise I would do something to help others, right?
    There is a new term in Russia : Generation “Egoist”
    I am glad I could think about it, since your question was a starting point. I acted a little bit ;). But again, not from inside out.
    Do you know how can you control and structure your thoughts, so it would not be a “always wonder around”, and waiting for outside push thinking “go with a flow”, so you can finaly learn something in life?

    Sorry, I always write long. Till the end of the paper.

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  • That is such a great question for me right now. I live in USA while I am from Russia. I did not work for 2 years, and I don’t work now. When I went to Russia, I met my classmates at classmates reunion and they would ask me what do I do. They would all tell each other what have they achieved, and it was only me who would say “I do nothing. I do not work.” It seemed strange. Oakward. Could I consider myfelf a looser? I know they don’t think so. I look very good, healthy, beter then most of them. I don’t pretend. I had so much great experiences in my life, they can only dream of… And can do even more, if decide so.. And I do nothing.
    On the way back to USA I had a converstation with a lucky man whos profession is God’s blessing, I believe. He found his “call” when he was 7 years old. He asked me what did I want and what talents did I have when I was a child. He wanted me to find my blessing. And I want it too. I always was too realistic and logical, even in my chilhood, so even my dreams where down to Earth. And now I want something. I want to find my bliss. I am waiting for it for 2 years by now. I am waiting for some clues from the life. On another hand, I did not like, that the boy in Alchimist (I am listening it right now) was pushed to something. It was a good push )). What if I should not wait for the push, and there is nothing in me that wants to get out except of pride and ambition? I am thinking about fame. But… will I want it after I get it? At least, I would apply myself somehow. Even if it won’t work out, I would get a new experience, some growth… But fame is so vaine … I want to want something real. Help people in nursing home would be boring. I really do not know. So I sit in my inactivity and being lazy. I feel like I am even lazy to think. Or, better, unable to think the way which would bring me to an answer. Just go by cycles. Nothing new comes into my mind. Nothing new (except ofnice traveling ;) ) comes into my life.

    I love your books. They help me grow ) So I was wrong about “nothing new” )) They are actually are that new in my life. They are not borring like most books I start and never finish!! I wish someone would come and incourage me, pushed me to find my dream. Your question does )). I do not have a wise man, who would tell me what is my dream. Maybe it is better that way. When it comes from inside, it is stronger. It is like you yourself. So you have no choice but go forward. Here are my thoughts about inaction.
    By the way, I know one person who can be a very interesting character for one of your future books. He is unique. And his life was very interesting.

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  • Hi Paulo:
    I’ve just met you and i like what i’ve read from you so much.
    Maybe i should have wait for the moment to write here, but to do that, for me, is doing nothing.
    Sometimes i need silence around me but, in the silence, the sounds of my thoughts keeps in my mind.
    Sometimes i need to do nothing for a while, but in the same time i think that to do nothing is a waste of time.
    Anyway, litlle times, i try to relax and wait for the right moment to do what i consider is the right thing.
    I don´t know the meeaning of feeling useless and i don´t feel guilty when i do what i want, being something or nothing.
    Thanks for let me being here in this moment.
    Pleased to meet you.
    Un saludo.

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  • Thiago Bruno, para entrar no site do G1, é só
    clicar:http://colunas.g1.com.br/paulocoelho

    Obs. Suas opiniões serão avaliadas pelo mediador, que as vezes pode ser rigoroso. Abs.

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  • From Hermann Hesse’s Siddharta:

    Everyone can perform magic, everyone can reach his goals, if he is able to think, if he is able to wait, if he is able to fast.
    —-

    Perhaps this inaction that we’re talking about is the wait ?

    The reason I bring this up is that inaction by itself does appear to sound pretty difficult to accept. This because if one is not on the path of action for that which one is destined to do or that one has to do then inaction does lead toward a path of some level of deterioration and decay.

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