Reflection on the "Do Nothing" Assignment

The assignment ended up turning out similar to how I imagined it would. I needed to go Spring Break shopping, so I decided to do the assignment at Hawthrone Mall. I thought it would be better to go shopping before I stood and did nothing so that at least that way I would like a little bit less sketchy than if I simply stood there holding nothing. After buying a few things, I stood near the main entrance of the food court and faced outwards towards the stores. When I started, I felt very awkward. The hardest part of the entire assignment was making sure not to allow any thoughts enter my mind. I found myself beginning to think about what I was doing later, what my friends were doing, and what I was going to wear later that night. Once a thought began to enter my head I quickly acknowledged that I was having a thought, and cleared it from my head. At first, not much was going on around me besides people passing me, not paying any attention. Eventually, one couple walked past me staring me all the while, laughing and whispering to each other. I stared into space the entire time, which must have looked very strange and apparently amusing to these people passing. After finishing the assignment, I realized how important it is in my life to constantly be surrounded by someone else and always doing something. It felt very strange to me to literally be doing absolutely nothing at all. Americans are so programmed to be constantly doing something or moving around. This experience was very relaxing, and it made me realize why meditation is so important in many other cultures.