Some food for thoughts on the topic of boredom:
It turns out that bliss – a second-by-second joy + gratitude at the gift of being alive, conscious – lies on the other side of crushing, crushing boredom.
– The Pale King by David Foster Wallace via TheAge article
Boredom. Is it a bad thing or a good thing? Do we need less of it or more of it? Are we missing out on the little joy and the gratitude for being alive because we are too busy to be bored? Should we really discourage people from being bored?
The article from which that above quote is taken really sheds a light on how I treat boredom in my life. I remember in my younger years when I actually love doing nothing and being bored. In fact, I coined a term once: “the art of doing nothing”. Well, okay, I didn’t patent it or whatever, and I’m sure some other people have used that term before me, but in my head, I created that. At that time, boredom and doing nothing meant lazing around in bed, daydreaming. In fact, I have been daydreaming my whole life, but that’s another blog topic for another day!
Nowadays, there’s no time for boredom. Partly because I now have so many things to do and so many things I want to do. But partly, maybe, because even when there is nothing for me to do, I will find distractions from boredom. Because boredom is a waste of time. Because boredom is a bad thing. Because “no one deserves to live like that” according to the comic strip above. So I am never bored. And that’s a good thing by the world’s standard. But that just reminds me of this particular video that inspired me a while back:
So where does this leave us? Is boredom needed in our lives? Do all these distractions prevent us from being truly creative? Are we too attached and distracted by the awesome gadgets and devices that are created to make our lives easier and better? Well, I don’t know. I don’t have answers for that. I personally like my gadgets and refuse to be parted from them. I also want to be more creative and allow myself time and space for that.
What do you suggest I – or we – do about this issue (if it is an issue) of distractions and the lack of boredom in our lives?