In Praise of the Things Left Undone

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"Pendulum" chronicles the life of a man doing it all. Rob Pizem is a husband, father, high school teacher, gym instructor, and professional rock climber. I've followed Rob on Instagram for some time; since I am a teacher and a climber and a husband, Pizem is a kind of inspiration of mine. At one point in the film, the person behind the camera asks Rob, "Could you tell me how many days a year you would consider yourself to be productive?" Without blinking and without sarcasm Rob laconically responds: "365." And it made me sad. 


Something ought to be said in praise of the things left undone. The clothes left unfolded. The emails unread. The bouldering projects not sent. The unfinished book on the nightstand to return to. Let us give thanks, even, for the missed deadline because our value is not determined by our production capacity. 



In graduate school, a guest speaker urged my cohort to be a people that fight for sabbath. Sabbath, being rest or specifically, work stoppage. It is an archaic word from the Hebrew Bible. There, the story goes, that God rests after the act of creation. Thus, building into the cosmic order a rhythm of work and rest. It is later codified by Moses in the Ten Commandments as a public act of resistance and a communal identity marker.



“Sabbath,” “rest,” or leaving things undone is very difficult. There is an invisible hand always pushing us to do. Moses names it Pharaoh, Marx calls it capitalism, and Pizem describes it as "the pendulum." Whatever it is it is the thing that tells us we have to be doing, achieving, accomplishing, performing, and acquiring. Rest defies the logic of the production-obsessed society where we have to always be more than we are. Later in the film, Rob speaks over panoramas of the Western Slope conceding, "If I am not achieving, it is the worst moment of my life... what's the point of living?" Likewise, we constantly struggle to do more and get more and we never slow down because we believe if we do, not only will we not have enough but we won't be enough.  
 


Even our "rest" falls under the omnipresent purview of the market. Our "time off" is often measured by production pressures, schedules, and quotas. How many miles can I run? How many pitches can I get done? Or how much progress can I make on my project? I have chosen to not go for a bike ride because it wasn't going to be more than 12 miles and anything under 12 miles wasn't worth doing because it wasn't enough. That is a very dumb thing to do. Shouldn't just riding my bike be enough?



If riding my bike is fun, it shouldn't matter how far I go. And if I am a human being, my worthiness is not a function of my utility and productivity. I am not my capacity to produce. And I am certainly not the grade that I climb or mileage I can bike. I have intrinsic value shared with all just because I am. This isn't an argument for slothfulness, nor is it a manifesto against setting goals and pursuing them. It is a celebration of life beyond productivity. It is a summons to rest. 



So here's to that stack of ungraded papers because I went rock climbing instead.
 


Here's to that unfinished bouldering project because I got drinks with friends.
 


Here's to not going anywhere and not doing anything but sitting with my dog and marveling at how content she is doing absolutely nothing but just being. 

Here’s to that ancient Hebrew word, shabbat. 

(And Mr. Pizem, if you're reading this: you're still my hero. I just want you to take a day off. Maybe ride a bike?)

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