Can the worthless be valuable?
In the fourth century BC, philosopher Zhuang Zhou wrote a story called The Useless Tree. In this tale, a carpenter finds an enormous, old oak tree. He deems it worthless because its twisted branches aren't good for lumber.
Later, the tree appears in the carpenter's dreams, asking him how he defines usefulness. The old oak argues that trees valued for lumber are seen as useful but cut down when they are at their best. It questions, "If I were useful, would I have grown so large?"
The seemingly worthless can have value if viewed through the oak's perspective. The tree concludes that people often overlook this, seeing only potential timber in trees.
It's acceptable to be different. Zhuang Zhou's oak tree has a real-life equivalent. Jenny Odell lives near hills by San Francisco Bay that once had tall redwoods. These ancient trees were cut down during the 1850s gold rush, leaving only one known as "Old Survivor."
Two reasons kept "Old Survivor" standing. It was too crooked for lumber and located on a steep cliff that made it hard to cut down. Essentially, this tree was too unusual and difficult to transport to a sawmill.
This leads Jenny Odell to an important idea. You can adapt to resist being absorbed by the dominant culture. Just as trees shouldn't be judged by their lumber value, people shouldn't measure their lives solely by productivity.
The book offers insights about the labor market and the merging lines between work and leisure today. In this climate, doing nothing is often seen as a waste, yet it's in these moments of stillness that we recharge. Here are three lessons from “How to Do Nothing”:
Don’t focus your life solely on productivity and material wealth.
Embrace being quirky and unique.
Recognize the value in doing nothing. You can grow and thrive without constant action, just like the old trees.
These pointers may help slow life down. You don’t need to rush from one task to another. It's fine to take a break and choose to do nothing.