Overcapacity

As a student I would finish my studies in short time and would keep on wondering what to do for the rest of the period, how to fill the time. Later I realised that I wasn't alone. Many, rather most, people frequently feel this problem of how to fill time. Animals spend lot of their time in sleeping, searching for food, digesting food, and be wary of own safety and on lookout for threats. Remaining small time they can spend idleing, but always alert. Man has evolved much beyond that. He need to work small part of his time to make sure of his basic needs, not only in the present but for the rest of his life. He has evolved in such a way that he no longer needs to feel physically insecure, need not constantly spend his time and energy in being alert. He can afford to sleep like a log and still wake up to see light next morning.

This huge amount of idleness brings in emptiness. Earlier times religion and religious rituals etc took up quite amount of time. Even after that a lot of time remained empty. This emptiness, this hollowness, this feeling petty, worthless was countered by quest for external power. Power, control over things, animals and even fellow humans. In quest of power and control men went in fights and wars. Women spent their times in caring for families, looking better and attracting men-of-power.

In modern world today this basic human psychology is manifested differently. Religious power have weakened and corporates have taken over the reins. Men feel this power in using, consuming wildly and in wild things. This is power of money. A roaring car, designed by somebody and manufactured by somebody else, but the owner feels the pride by having spending the money to own it. This perception of power, of control, of esteem, of goodness only through monetary terms has spread so deeply into our psychology that we can not even imagine a state of well-being devoid of money. (Actually the word wealth has its roots in the word well-being. See how what it means today!)
Many of the problems individuals and societies face today may be resolved we can find ways to deal our own overcapacity.
One of the ways may be to shift our focus from doing to being. Instead of constantly looking for things to do, if we can find enjoyment or peace in whatever wherever we are then probably we can see more meaning inside, rather than futilely searching it outside