Sometimes I am confused between what is good and what is beneficial . It is not always clear. For example, Is entertainment, such as watching a movie or dining out or going to the pub, time wasted that could have been invested in other things such as general reading or reading work-related stuff or going to the gym or going for a 10 mile walk?.
It all happened one Saturday night when I was leaving home at 9:30 PM with some feelings of loss that I may have lost some valuable "Saturday-night-time". My instinct and unconscious mind nudges me-- "hey! It is Saturday night! Did you forget?"
I, most of the time, maybe all the time, respond without argument ,positively with my inner feelings. There must be a "Saturday-night-thing". "Saturday night can't go without a Saturday-night-thing". Anything entertaining but not rewarding.
But on my way out I saw a neighbor in his livingroom reading. Further I passed by a family watching TV in the livingroom. Just before reaching my car, I saw two men on a balcony, barbecuing and laughing loudly.
This made me think. I didn't start the car as usual. My desire for any "Saturday-night-thing" fainted against some question lingering in my mind that kept my arms away from the steering wheel.
So what? You will be back in 2 or 3 hours exhausted and have spent money and time without any obvious tangible reward . My habit triumphed over my thoughts and I went out. But the scene of the man reading in his living room kept lingering in my mind. After all, happiness is purely a personal thing but also it could be a chemistry thing.
Are we different because we have different levels of wisdom or because our chemistries are different?
I hope it is the latter.
Hamad S Alomar
Riyadh
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