Bathtub Tai Chi

Bathtub Tai Chi

I finally realized multitasking was inefficient. This urge fooled me into feeling I could actually accomplish more — get more done. As chapter 48 reveals, One does less and less until one does nothing at all, and when one does nothing
at all there is nothing that is undone.

Multitasking also makes it impossible to do as chapter 64 advises, Be as careful at the end as at the beginning. However, it isn’t learning or an epiphany that accounts for my increased wisdom here. Most likely, it is merely due to becoming older and having less energy to chase and pack on desires as I could in my youth.

Kyle’s Family Friendly Version

However, I feel there is one avenue of multitasking that really does pay off. Maintaining good posture during all my daily activity is multitasking in that I stay grounded all the while. The photo above shows a version of beneficial multitasking. Here I’m drying off after a bath and training balance simultaneously ⁽¹⁾. Balance becomes increasingly important as I age, and doing something to counter the deterioration of balance that will slowly creep up on me over the years makes sense.

Sitting on the floor, erect with a slight forward bend or other yoga like stretching, helps counteract negative aspects of sedentary activity. In the photo, I am flossing my teeth, reading Science News, and bending forward. I’m doing three activities simultaneously and additively and neither interferes with the other.

Forward bending, flossing and studing

The reason this kind of multitasking is additive is that the activities are duties, not desire driven pleasures or goals… except for my desire to do what is right for my body. I feel this conforms to Buddha’s Fourth Truth:  “… whose will is bent on what he ought to do, whose sole desire is the performance of his duty…” . Right equals duty.

⁽¹⁾ The smiley face version of was my son Kyle’s creation. It is surprising how modest both my sons are. Perhaps it’s a reaction to how little concern I have for such things. To see a humorous take on this, see their weekly video blog, The Abbott-y Blogcast.