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In praise of wasting time Cover Image Book Book

In praise of wasting time / Alan Lightman ; illustrations by Dola Sun.

Lightman, Alan P., 1948- (author.).

Summary:

In today's frenzied and wired world, we are obsessed with the idea of not "wasting time." But have we lost the silences and solitude so essential to our inner lives? A great deal of evidence suggests the value in wasting time, of letting the mind lie fallow for some periods, of letting minutes and hours go by without scheduled activities or intended tasks, of unplugging from the grid. In this investigation of the rush and heave of the modern world, Alan Lightman explores the technological and cultural origins of our time-driven lives. More importantly, he reveals the many values of "wasting time", for replenishing the mind, for creative thought, and for finding and solidifying the inner self. Lightman urges us, as both individuals and as a society, to break free of the idea that not a second is to be wasted and to discover that sometimes the best thing to do is to do nothing at all.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9781501154362
  • ISBN: 1501154362
  • Physical Description: 102 pages : color illustrations ; 19 cm
  • Edition: First TED Books hardcover edition.
  • Publisher: New York : TED Books, 2018.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:
Includes bibliographical references (pages 95-102).
Formatted Contents Note:
A village in Cambodia -- The grid -- The rush and the heave -- Play -- The free-grazing mind -- Downtime and replenishment -- Chronos and kairos -- Half mind.

Search for related items by subject

Subject: Time perception.
Time > Psychological aspects.
Time management > Psychological aspects.

Available copies

  • 6 of 7 copies available at BC Interlibrary Connect. (Show)
  • 1 of 1 copy available at Valemount Public Library.

Holds

  • 0 current holds with 7 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location Call Number / Copy Notes Barcode Shelving Location Holdable? Status Due Date
Valemount Public Library anf 153.3 lig (Text) 35194014277941 Adult non-fiction Volume hold Available -
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Alan Lightman is a physicist, novelist, and essayist. He was educated at Princeton University and at the California Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in theoretical physics. Lightman is the author of five novels, including the international bestseller Einstein’s Dreams, two collections of essays, a book-­length narrative poem, and several books on science. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Granta, The New Yorker, and The New York Review of Books, among other publications.

Alan Lightman is a physicist, novelist, and essayist. He was educated at Princeton University and at the California Institute of Technology, where he received a PhD in theoretical physics. Lightman is the author of five novels, including the international bestseller Einstein's Dreams, two collections of essays, a book-­length narrative poem, and several books on science. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Granta, The New Yorker, and The New York Review of Books, among other publications.

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