Now that the Spring semester is over, I find myself craving more scholarly enterprises more so than those that I was involved in at school. When I was in class I longed for inactivity and non-productiveness. Now that it's all over, I'm at it again. These adventures are more for personal fascinations rather than that of school, but some are related. Right now I'm reading a fascinating history of the Vikings by Robert Ferguson (The Vikings). I'm doing so in hopes of learning more about my own culture and diverse heritage. Next I'll either begin reading Halo: Cryptum for some entertainment value or rereading Victims of Progress to get a deeper understanding of Anthropology. To add to this, reading for me is a long arduous task. I'm a slow reader because I need to sit and comprehend things for an extended period of time, so it's not like a walk in the park.
As I was enjoying the cool post-in-climate weather breeze this afternoon over a pipe, I pondered the concept of vacation. Vacation for me has evolved from an escape from school/work into a purge of mandatory productivity (i.e. studying and so forth). The things I do on vacation are not just fun, but productive. I have more time to enjoy the healthy activities like reading, practicing language and exercise. These are all things I do in school, but they're more fun when I'm not forced to do them, or being graded for them. As I pondered it even more, I synthesized it down to a hypothesis. Vacation is not just an inherent act of doing nothing important, but a psychological need to bring balance to everyday activity. Vacation is a reaction to an excess. I've done so much mandatory work, that now I crave compulsory work. The things I wish to do, which could include things that are either productive or not, versus the things I have to do. I have to study, so I don't want to, but not because there is anything fundamentally wrong with homework. I actually like studying. It's just that I have to do it, and if I don't do it right, I'll reap unwanted consequences like a bad grade. Maybe I'm avoiding pain like rejection or disappointment.
So, tell me. How do you vacation, and why? Do you do fun, productive things or non-productive things?
