I’m not saying that it’s the norm, and I am most definitely not bragging, but this morning I was very productive. I accomplished a work-related task in much less time than I had anticipated it would take. Since productivity has become a virtue in our society, at least for a short while this morning, I was virtuous.
You have likely felt the happiness of productivity as well. It can come as a kind of unexpected gift, and it can change your outlook. Conversely, lack of productivity can send some of us off of an emotional cliff, even if such lack is common in our lives. This is because productivity is seen as both a goal and a blessing. Thankfully, there are voices that remind us that it can also be a curse.
Last Friday I was privileged to interview someone for the podcast I’m a co-host on, who has been a favourite writer of mine in terms of theological hope. John Swinton is a Professor at the University of Aberdeen and department head for something called Practical Theology. Among the topics of consideration in his work are the implications of the societal worship of productivity. Swinton illuminates how particular theological views have led to such worship, and how seeing productivity as an ultimate good has been damaging to Christian theology.
Our co-host, Allison, asked John Swinton about mental health and terminology, pointing out that she noticed that he uses terms like “a person living with the diagnosis of schizophrenia” rather than “a schizophrenic”. He replied to the question by pointing out that language is always in flux and that he is not the language police, but that, indeed, we need a “different grammar” for how we refer to people so that we can see the humanity and worth of all.
Swinton helpfully points out that much of the pain we cause to the forgotten and marginalized in our society comes down to perceptions of time. In a culture that values productivity beyond almost all else, people who can’t do things quickly are de-valued rather than listened to for what they have to teach us. He goes on to say that if we don’t listen to such voices and lives, we may fail to learn some of the most important truths.
Here is Swinton on time:
“Time should not be our enemy, it should be our friend. The redemption of time has to do with turning time from an overbearing ruler into a gentle friend.”
From “Becoming Friends of Time”
I came across an article recently that, in some ways, fits into a curious category around how it warns against productivity.
The article does mention the need to go slowly sometimes. It mentions that we need creative space in our lives where we are not aiming to get something done. In some ways, however, it seems to do this with productivity as the end goal. It presents a kind of “you should include non-productive things in your life because you will be more productive if you do.” I think that Swinton is speaking about something much better than this.
For Swinton, the question is what we think time is for. For many of us, it is to get things done, time is for productivity. How much can we accomplish, even in the context of leisure or vacation? Swinton counters, largely speaking from his Christian faith, that time is not for productivity. Time is for love.
In this practical theological view, love is of God and God’s time includes:
“slowness, gentleness, dependence, vulnerability, non-competitiveness, trustfulness, restfulness, things that frequently are found among the rejected, stigmatized and discarded”.
These things found among those who are counted out because they cannot be, by the measure of our society, productive.
I want to value non-productivity, not so much for how it can make me more productive, but for how it can help me to have a better view of humanity and vocation. This morning, after a very productive couple of hours, I recall that, in my solitary celebration, I audibly said to myself, “I just kicked that task in the ass.” Sometimes the level of my spiritual advancement is distressingly meagre. Productivity is not always spiritually helpful.
I so agree with you. Even when we go on vacation, it seems that time is turned into "How much can we see and do before we have to go back home and our work lives." Even that time is turned into goals! I find great value in taking time daily to just sit and be. In addition to time for meditation and prayer, simply being opens doorways of knowingness we would miss otherwise. Great article. Thank you!
There is no sorry. No need.
And thanks for the insightful note about generational differences. Good to see the audacity of questioning the default virtuousness of productivity, or at least a greater sense of how it might be measured. Take Care Matt!