Let’s talk about nothing

Exploring the unexpected wisdom of nothing

I was wondering what I should write about this week. Every week I worry that I won’t have anything interesting to write about. Then it hit me: Maybe I should write about nothing and see where it takes me. Let’s give it a try! Let’s have fun!

And here I am, writing about nothing, hoping some of you will be intrigued enough to read about it. Who knows, maybe I’ll get some unusual clicks and views – talk about a conversation starter, right?

So, let’s talk about nothing. Have you ever thought about nothing? What do you think about nothing? Let me think…

Nothing tends to get a bad rap. It’s like boredom, emptiness, resting, sleeping, stopping, or mindfulness, things that aren’t exactly “sexy.” Yoga has gotten sexy with those fancy yoga pants, but I don’t think we can come up with “sexy” mindfulness pants. Though, there are sexy PJs. But I digress…

We live in a society that constantly promotes something, doing something, being someone. We work, sometimes multiple jobs, volunteer, raise kids, go to school, and so on. No wonder nothing isn’t attractive. Even writing articles has to be about something, otherwise, it’s a waste of time, right? We’re always looking for something interesting to watch, read, or listen to. I get it. When I watch TV, I need to get something out of it. Same when I read a book, a quote, or listen to a podcast. What’s the point if we don’t get something out of it? Why waste time on nothing?

Right now, I’m trying to write something interesting about nothing, otherwise, I feel like I won’t have done my job, which is to plant a seed or spark an “Aha!” or “I’m not alone” moment for you, my reader.

Why can’t we just be still and content with nothing? What is it that drives us to always learn something new or find that next nugget of information to feel happier? We keep looking for the best croissant, the best Mexican food in town. Why do we always want more, better? Why can’t we just be OK with reading an article that might bring us…nothing?

And even worse, if it’s an article literally talking about nothing?! 😉

If you’ve made it this far, kudos to you! I want to know: what emotion are you feeling right now? Are you laughing, or do you feel like you’re sinking into the abyss of “wasting your time”? Maybe you’re thinking I’m crazy. Or maybe you’re still reading because, somehow, I’ve kept your attention. Either way, something tells me I’ve done my job of having you read about nothing.

I’m proud of myself, but I also hope you’ve gotten something out of it. And if you stopped reading already… well, you won’t know what I had to say about nothing.

The doubts are creeping in. Why share something about nothing? It’s not exactly aligned with my usual content. Why bother? Shouldn’t I spend more time writing something interesting? But at least I had fun writing this. It was on my mind, and now it’s on paper (yes I first write on paper). I don’t have to follow through, right?

But was this article interesting? Did I waste your time? Maybe I’ve started a conversation about…nothing. Is nothing even real?

To push through these doubts, I’m going to share this article and see what happens. Maybe writing about nothing was a terrible idea. And that’s ok. But who knows? I won’t know until I share it. So, here goes!

So, what’s wrong with nothing – doing nothing, being no one? Many of us feel guilty if we do nothing because there’s always something to do. Even when asked what we did last weekend and we answer “nothing” – because honestly, nothing stood out – we might get confused looks and feel ashamed. See? Nothing really does have a bad reputation.

Yet, nothing offers profound wisdom. Doing nothing gives us the rest we often overlook but desperately need. It teaches us the humility to simply connect with others, without striving. Watching nothing, listening to nothing, speaking nothing – these moments offer us something we often lack: the space to resource, recenter, and just be. No expectations. No wants. No needs. Just here, right now, in the present. Being content with nothing.

So, is nothing actually something?

Okay, now I’m going to check online to see if there’s something juicy about nothing 😉

PS: Of course, there is! Here is an article about “20 things you didn’t know about… nothing”

Here are my top favorites:

• “There is vastly more nothing than something. Roughly 74 percent of the universe is “nothing”.”
• “And even something is mostly nothing.  Atoms overwhelmingly consist of empty space. Matter’s solidity is an illusion caused by the electric fields created by subatomic particles.”
• “Even nothing has a weight.”
• “Current theories even suggest that the universe was created out of a state of vacuum energy – a state of nothing.”

So let’s talk more about nothing, shall we?!