The art of Boredom
Maybe being bored sometimes is a good thing? I've started to practice it.
Boredom is the enemy. That’s how I used to see it. Now I view it as something to practice. I used to think my smartphone and an unlimited supply of data was a net benefit, but now I see it as a distraction to be fought against. Many of us have completely lost the ability to sit still and simply exist without strumming our fingers across a screen. As painful as one may think it is, I have begun to reengage with boredom. It turns out I can be content with doing nothing while waiting for the kettle to boil, allowing whatever thoughts to bubble onto the surface of my mind.
It’s funny to notice the generational gap while in a waiting room. Older people look randomly around the room or stare into space, whereas younger people are locked into one thing and one thing only. Their attention is hijacked for the profit of others. Sure they’re stimulated, but are they missing out on anything? Is there a downside to never letting oneself be bored?
At some point in your life, you will be without your smartphone. You’ll be forced to be bored. If you’re not used to it, this will drive you mad. My attention span has shortened and I’m slowly starting to regain the ability to focus on things for longer with the hope that this will translate to an easier commitment to sessions of deep work. How long can you focus on a single task?
It’s been shown that letting our minds wander is crucial for creativity. Even if you don’t live in the creative realm, this spare time allows your mind to go down interesting theoretical thought paths or even practical ones like planning for the future. Something of which we all benefit from.
I’ve gone on and off vaping a few times in recent years, it’s difficult to describe, but there’s almost this nagging feeling that spontaneously arises where I feel the need to reach for a vape. Not checking my phone when I’m bored is this same addictive feeling. And it’s not that there’s anything in particular I want to check. What am I going to gain by browsing through Instagram for 30 seconds? I know there’s nothing to gain, but it’s not about gaining something, It’s about escapism. It’s about fixing the ‘problem’ of being bored.
People are so scared of boredom that they’d rather intentionally hurt themselves than have nothing to do.
What is this? We run away from boredom like it’s some deadly virus. Yet it’s just… boredom. It’s not dangerous, it’s just… being bored. I’m sick of always trying to avoid it.
I don’t want to have this constant need to pull out my phone whenever there’s downtime. I don’t want to be the friend who’s always checking their phone while out. I don’t want to faceplant into my phone as soon as I sit on the train. I hate this reliance on my phone.
I think I’ll just be bored instead.
Let us leave this compulsion behind, the one telling us we have to be constantly drip-fed with content, let us instead allow our thoughts to draw on the blank canvas of our minds.
What’s the worst that could happen?