The Useless Practice

In an age of optimization, the Hodja's greatest wisdom may be his uselessness. The Useless Practice is the commitment to witness sunrise and sunset for no reason whatsoever—not for health benefits, spiritual advancement, productivity enhancement, or any measured outcome. You simply show up. This deliberate rejection of utility is radically countercultural and profoundly liberating. When there is no goal, there is no failure. When there is no agenda, there is no anxiety about whether you're 'doing it right.' The Hodja's tales often describe him pursuing absurd, pointless activities with complete conviction—and finding in that conviction a kind of freedom. By practicing sunrise and sunset observation as utterly useless, you train the part of yourself that exists for no reason, that needs no justification. This creates space for genuine presence untainted by the ego's need to extract value. Paradoxically, this useless practice becomes the most useful: it teaches you to be, rather than constantly to become.