My introduction to nothingness, thanks to Jerry Seinfeld
There are multiple reasons for a specific change in ones life, some more obvious than others, the pandemic of 2020 (for the uninitiated) is definitely a major reason for me playing more board games than i have ever in my life. Some other reasons being, I met a friend who introduced me and my fiance to board games, my fiance having a love-hate relationship with games and lastly, the concept of nothingness that the show Seinfeld taught me.
Seinfeld as a show, was extremely funny and gave immense joy repeatedly through four adults trying to swim through the vagaries of everyday life. I saw Seinfeld for the first time as a teenager in India, at which point the show was funny for sure. It was only later though, when it really struck me why ‘nothingness’ is so important and why I loved the show so much.
Doing nothing encapsulates the simplicity of being, not actively trying to push your agenda, do something productive, staying busy. Its about being in the moment, without rushing, letting that moment seize you, rather than you seizing the moment. There are far too many times today that we try and do the latter, rather than the former.
As I grew up, oaring through life — travelling, moving countries, meeting new people, picking up hobbies — trying to find the true meaning of life, and moving to the city of my dreams — New York city — honestly, the things I enjoy the most are truly about nothing.
Vapid train rides (thanks MTA), going across town for that cookie and dough ice cream, hitting balls with a stick (also called golf), watching men fight for a ball (also called football/soccer), watching the city from my rooftop, finding the best Pizza spots in town, buying that french press to upgrade your coffee — all of that and more. In short, the purposeless, consciously languid drift that I find myself in, more so during this year — the famous 2020, has really taught me the value of nothingness and also helped me connect to Seinfeld at a visceral level.
Oh and board games, completely forgot about those. Those are great. Ask me for recommendations.
