Road rage, office rage, and even relationship rage are familiar to us. But now idleness rage has emerged. Frequently I hear peoplewho complain about the idleness of young people. Often their 1complaints reach a feverish pitch. What's behind this rage? Somepeople fear we're spawning a lazy generation. But there is more 2likely that our fast-pace culture blinds us to the need to slow down. 3 Recent studies have revealed that North Americans takesignificant less vacation time than people in European countries. 4The same studies indicate that people have a hard time leavingwork when they go away. It seems there's always another e-mail to 5check in or a telephone call to make. This has consequences for 6family life. And it points to a deep fear: We'll be punished if we stop working. The art of doing nothing could seem peculiar tosome. But in our wired world it's easy to slow down. Sometimes it 7takes mental discipline to be idle. Multitasking and instantcommunication have given us many benefits. And they also 8produce frazzled nerves, sleep problems, strained relationships,irritability, and drug independencies. That's why it's important for 9people to rejuvenate themselves by slowing down. If we value healthy living, creativity, and peace of mind, weshould recognize the need to be idle. By doing such, we may 10discover the benefits of simply watching a sunset.