Motivation

After an absence of several months I once again found myself in my professor’s studio, staring dismally at a shapeless lump of clay. The unappealing red mud was sitting untouched on the wooden table in front of me; after sitting there for half an hour I had still not found the strength to do anything with it.

While I sat there my professor walked up and decided to disturb my blissful inactivity. He surveyed my handiwork and shook his head.

“You are wasting time!” he said briskly. “Now – to work! You have much to do.”

“I know, I know,” I said.

“That is good! I had begun to wonder. Perhaps, I thought, you had mistaken this for a doctor’s waiting room. Your expression – it is one of pain, no? Perhaps you think I will remove your kidneys?”

I shook my head. “I just don’t know why I’m here, professor. I mean, what’s the point?”

He sighed. “We have been over this many times, no? Surely we do not need to repeat ourselves. You always come here, no?”

“Yeah, I do. It just seems like such a waste of time! Surely there’s something better I can be doing. I just can’t seem to motivate myself today.”

“I see,” he replied, as he turned his gaze from me to the untouched clay sitting on the table. “So – perhaps you are right. Sculpting – it will not change the world, no?”

“Exactly! It won’t. I’ve made a lot of sculptures in the past few years, professor, and I’ve become convinced that there has got to be something better to do with my time than make these – things.”

“You may be right,” the professor replied. He looked at me and nodded his head thoughtfully. “You have a good point, no? Perhaps you should be the one to remove people’s kidneys. Or you could fight fires. Or develop new medicines, yes?”

“Something like that. I was actually thinking more about going home and watching TV. It’s a lot easier than sculpting!”

“I am sure that would save many lives!” the professor remarked. “Think of all the mighty works of art that have been created by TV watchers! Or – even better – think of all the wonders this world could have accomplished if only more people watched TV! What tragedy! Yes, I can see that you have chosen the better path.”

I looked sourly at my professor. “It’s not all about work, you know. A person needs some time to recuperate. It’s a rough world out there! Have you seen the way people drive these days?”

He looked at me keenly. “Yes, I can see how overworked you truly are, my student. This past half-hour – how you have labored! The giant stack of artwork that you failed to create towers overhead. But I must end this discussion,” he said. My professor turned and began walking toward the door.

“Hey!” I said. “Where are you going?”

“To join the massive legion of media consumers!” he replied without turning his head. He reached his hand toward the doorknob. “The world – it must be saved, no?”

“Wait! How am I supposed to finish this without you?”

He opened the door, and then turned to look at me. “You must first begin, before you can finish. Let me know when you have gotten that far.”

And with that, he was gone.