Too Much Time
Are idle hands such a bad thing?
I’ve just come to realize that I hate when people say of someone, “They have too much time on their hands.” The most recent offender of having so-called “too much time” was the writer of a BuzzFeed article that was forwarded to me. They had too much time, apparently, but their article was worthy of being passed along. Do I have too much time since I have the minutes to spare in reading it? Am I guilty because I took the moments to laugh? Am I an even worse offender because I have the time to sit down and write this post?
“They have too much time on their hands” seems to be our catch-all judgement for people who are doing things that (1) we would rather be doing but for some reason don’t, or (2) we dismiss as crazy or unnecessary (Pixar’s Jay Ward didn’t say too much, but when asked about Jon Negroni’s unified Pixar Theory, he said, “I think somebody had a lot of time on their hands. They may have had some other recreational activities…”).
On that first note, what really troubles me about “too much time on their hands” is that it is a phrase usually directed at those who are in pursuit of creative expression: the person who decides to make an eight-foot-long felt and fabric giant squid just because; the unpaid writer who submits to BuzzFeed and has an article make it to the front page; the Tumblr user who posts Doctor Who fan art; the Etsy seller who takes goofy photos modeling the shop’s vintage clothing; the cosplayer who spends hours upon hours perfecting a costume; the mom who blogs about the craft she just did with her toddler. What’s so wrong with how these people choose to spend their time? All of these people could be spending the rest of their time in “acceptable” ways, like architectural engineering, financial analysis, scientific research, business management, etc. and we’d never know it. The truth is, we shouldn't be judging them for how they spend any of their time in the first place.
I’ve noticed the people who judge these creative types the most are ones who don’t see the value in it or wish they could be doing the same things. Who wouldn’t like to be funny enough to have a post or video go viral? Who wouldn’t like to have artistic talent that makes people wait desperately for your webcomic or blog updates? Who wouldn’t like to be that genius able to come up with ideas that make your home life run smoother, your children more well-behaved, and your meals more delicious? The self-made judges spend their time enjoying what the others have created or done. If they think it’s stupid or pointless, why are they spending so much time perusing the offender’s material? Why are they so engrossed? And if they do see the value but have to be dismissive anyway, it’s frequently just jealousy that drives the flippant remark, sometimes even with a snarky confession: “Boy, I wish I actually had the time to do that!”
Then there are the ones who call the people with too much time “crazy” or their work “unnecessary”. Take Ancient Aliens, for example. The show drives me absolutely insane, and I have shouted facts back at the TV screen to express my frustration. But would I say that conspiracy theorists have too much time on their hands? Hell no. I may disagree with them and think they’re wrong, but in their minds, every moment they’ve spent investigating is a well-spent moment. Plus, they provide me and others with entertainment (unbearably frustrating entertainment). And I wouldn’t call their sharing unnecessary, either. Despite my lack of faith in any of their claims, they teach viewers to attempt to think critically, to examine the evidence and believe them or debunk them.
The previously mentioned unified Pixar Theory suggests that all of the Pixar movies take place in the same universe, just at different points in time, and that all the characters are connected in specific ways. Ward is right that Negroni probably spent “a lot of time” on it — putting together pieces of a potentially non-existent puzzle is definitely time-consuming — but the comment indicates Ward’s meaning of “a lot” was “too much”. Negroni may have come up with a totally wrong idea (in the minds and intentions of the films’ creators), but no one can fault him for using logical reasoning with creative thinking to come to his conclusions. And, just like Ancient Aliens, the theory at its worst is still great entertainment, there to inspire discussion, debate, and more creativity.
The notion of “too much time” sounds like we have enough time for anything in the first place. Life can be long, and life can be short, and often it’s both together. Why judge another for how they choose to spend that precious time? If you’ve found something to do in the time you have that makes you happy, go do it. Even if it’s taking a nap. The clock’s ticking, and you really don’t have too much time after all.
