A week of karate camp does this for me. Just one week, but it is intensely focused on my body and my immediate physical surroundings. I think what makes it so... refreshing? is that it is a new and different obsession. (It's been new and different every year for 7 years, now.)
I come back from my week at karate camp and don't know what to do with myself. During the summer I live at my computer, but after a week-long break, I can't think of anything I want to do.
What I really don't get is how I can be so easily addicted to either state - constant flow of information, or no flow of information.
I guess it's a matter of self-obsession versus world-obsession. This year especially, I came back from karate camp thinking I could become a recluse, doing nothing but physical training and soul searching for the rest of my life. I wouldn't even mind if my soul searching returned zero relevant results, because no results would be meaningful (for once).
At this point (in my thought process), it seems like it's a matter of obsessions. I don't think I could live successfully in a state of balance between these two polar ideas - I would hate it. Maybe it ties into the human need to be the best at whatever is occurring at any particular moment, which expects specialization, and thereby obsession.
That still doesn't explain why it's so refreshing to change obsessions occasionally. (But I know I'd get bored being at karate camp year round, too.)
I come back from my week at karate camp and don't know what to do with myself. During the summer I live at my computer, but after a week-long break, I can't think of anything I want to do.
What I really don't get is how I can be so easily addicted to either state - constant flow of information, or no flow of information.
I guess it's a matter of self-obsession versus world-obsession. This year especially, I came back from karate camp thinking I could become a recluse, doing nothing but physical training and soul searching for the rest of my life. I wouldn't even mind if my soul searching returned zero relevant results, because no results would be meaningful (for once).
At this point (in my thought process), it seems like it's a matter of obsessions. I don't think I could live successfully in a state of balance between these two polar ideas - I would hate it. Maybe it ties into the human need to be the best at whatever is occurring at any particular moment, which expects specialization, and thereby obsession.
That still doesn't explain why it's so refreshing to change obsessions occasionally. (But I know I'd get bored being at karate camp year round, too.)
Oh well.