Poll: Is thinking about "deep things" a waste of time?

[CuddlyCombine]

I'm a poet at heart. There, I said it. I'll wax lyrical at every chance I get, and I'll greet you at every corner with some romantic or existential realization. I'm just built like that. Now, this is fine with my circle of friends, seeing that we generally share similar opinions and understand each others' motivations. However, apparently, we waste time. A lot.

Know why? Because we talk about deep topics. This isn't a trend that only occurs with me and my friends, though. Even on these forums, I've seen people comment with responses like, "Man, if you came up with that, you need to get a life." So what? Someone pondered the meaning of existence? Bothered to shake the chains tethering them to reality? What is reality, even?

Asking these sorts of questions is not a waste of time. I'm hard pressed to find something more important, at least to me. I mean, why/if I exist is something I'd like to think about. Going shopping or on a trip to Starbucks is a waste of time.

Also, like I mention in the topic title, these are questions with no definite answers. Asking about the nature of the universe and thinking upon this for any length of time will not yield any results, unless you're willing to settle for an answer you know isn't provable or measurable. So, basically, you're thinking about something which you can't answer, and there's no point in answering it (this is the gist of one argument a friend who opposes deep thinking told me).

Now, I have to lay out a disclaimer; I acknowledge the irony in this thread, considering that calling anything a waste of time implies that time is budgeted for a specific purpose, or that time isn't something that just exists on our minds, or anything else from that special school of thought known as the "mindfuckatorium". However, let's just use conventional definition for now and not worry about whether it is mind-independent or not.

 

[Leorex]

yes, but its not my time. so go ahead and think about unanswerable questions.

 

[Del-Toro]

I'm sort of in the middle for this one. Whilst philosophy can actually be made practical if applied right, most of it is just some lazy arse's excuse to not tend the dirt fields like the rest of us. Besides, thinking that some philosopher will never hope to actually prove/disprove most of these questions (where is god, yadda yadda yadda) the whole thing becomes pointless in the long run. Quote Hobbes and Nietzche to your heart's content but when it comes right down to it neither of them had any useful practical skill to contribute. I suppose I should have just said no.

 

[Easykill]

It's great fun, and not something I would consider a waste of time. However, do not look down on "Going shopping or on a trip to Starbucks", either.

 

[crudus]

I love to do this. I often do it in the room of "quiet meditation and solitude" as well as while going to bed (it helps me sleep). I especially like doing it with other people. Not only do you get to interact with another human, but you also get to learn a lot about them. As Plato (I think; correct me if i am wrong) said "You can learn more about a man in an hour of play than in a year of conversation". Doing this kind of thinking is our "play".

 

[implodingMan]

I'm more interested in solving practical problems. A question like "Why won't the damn engine start" is always more intriguing to me than "what is existence".

I only get philosophical when I'm on drugs, and then I am more interested in psychological questions than metaphysical ones.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

I think its totally worth it to think about stuff like that. Just don't do it during your 75% of your grade test in English. *Sigh*

 

[zoozilla]

I'll often blankly stare out a window, reflecting deeply on my life. Small things and big things.

I wouldn't call it a "waste of time" or anything; I might not come to a great truth about myself every time my eyes glaze over and thoughts take over, but it's kind of what makes me who I am.

That is, a self-obsessed prick.

 

[Sronpop]

It about as time wasting as playing video games, the only thing each really do is provide self gratification and entertainment.

So I voted no, think all you want my friend, its only going to become a 'problem' if you go the buddha route.

 

[duchaked]

I can't really share my thoughts with the people around me usually. They either think I'm turning emo or just plain nuts sometimes.

"You can't handle the truth!"

 

[Cucumber]

Waste of time? Define waste of time? If you're going to say something like "you could do something more productive," then I might be "wasting time" doing 'non-productive' stuff. And what's wrong with that? I just prefer to use my time to entertain myself diffrently.

I believe that people should be able to do whatever they'd want to, as long as they're happy themselves and not hurting anybody else. There is no "perfect way" of living.

 

[Major_Sam]

I am know to sit for awhile, not say anything, then come out with the most insane question. My most famous it, "If you sit in a warm puddle in the dark without pants on, will your arse go mouldy?"
Or another one. "If I put this (random stick) in the grass and it has a fingerprint on it as a murderer has touched it, will the forensic guys will know to pick it up?"
Stuff like that.

 

[DinosaurSnack]

Is world domination put in the whole "waste of time" thing? Because then that would be 5 years down the drain.

But seriously, I usually think about weird things no matter what I am doing. Either in the quiet confines of my room or listening to my teachers a random thought will just creep into my head, and ,in my opinion, thinking about things seems much more productive than watching TV since your actually using your brain to create everything rather than just following along.
So really it is a timewaster if it is used to escape from something else you consider boring(and most boring things are productive apparently), but no if its just pondering for fun.

 

[UltimatheChosen]

I'd say they're not a waste. However, thinking ONLY about deep things is... lazy, in a way. There's a certain kind of logical thinking that comes of discussing and cogitating on more mundane things.

 

[crypt-creature]

Deep topics usually encourage people to think and be creative, bringing up many different viewpoints. Who cares if some topics have no real answer? That's part of the intrigue to the topic in the first place, it's speculative.
Besides, deep thinking isn't always a waste of time and can become a reality. At one point, the concept of a wheel was probably considered 'deep thinking' by people. It all depends on the context of the question and how 'deep' it is for that period of time, and the priorities of the people in question.

Think away.

 

[RyQ_TMC]

I just enjoy thinking about "deep things". Mostly cause I hate not knowing answers to questions and some answers you can't just look up on the net. So whenever a question like this hits me - and they do quite a lot - or someone asks me one, I just slump into "deep thought" mode. And that's enjoyable.

About "productive stuff", which yields quantifiable results and yadda yadda hickety bump - I think that nobody can be productive 24 hours a day, and if they try, they end up burning out. So people relax. Some relax by going on a spending spree, others binge, others go snowmobiling or whatever. Some just relax by thinking about things not directly relevant to down-to-Earth daily toil.

 

[CuddlyCombine]

I'd say they're not a waste. However, thinking ONLY about deep things is... lazy, in a way. There's a certain kind of logical thinking that comes of discussing and cogitating on more mundane things.

Of course, I'm not suggesting one spend their life sitting in a stupor of deep thought. However, as a brain exercise and something to culture yourself, it seems valid.

 

[VashtaNerada]

Its not a waste of time...its kind of like..um..mental masturbation

 

[Paragon Fury]

My existance is not a waste of time.

After all, I spend mot of my time thinking about "deep topics"...far more so then anything else really.