boredom

[miriam_e]

Amazing! While I was working away on the computer just now, there was a program on the radio about boredom. It talked about how people rush to their holidays to escape the boredom of daily grind then rush back to the city to escape the boredom of slow holidays. It was weird hearing people talk of things so alien to me. The last time I remember being bored was decades ago when I worked in a job where I had to pretend to be active without doing things. There was not enough inactivity or repetition to let me daydream, yet wasn't actually able to do anything interesting.

This program was pointing the blame at material wealth giving people free time as the basic reason for boredom; people have the spare time to be bored. But that is dumb! I have all the leisure time that I could ever want, but I am *never* bored. They completely missed the point.

Strange that they conducted a whole program on what seemed to be a complete mistake. Fascinated, I couldn't turn it off. It kept talking about leisure as being escape, and about wanting the hours to pass more quickly. For heaven's sake! I immerse myself in my days and wish the hours would pass slower. Time flies much too quickly; I hardly get a chance to savour it. But savour it I do. Although I have little money (I live below the poverty line) and have few material goods (except for my several computers and my couple of thousand books) I love my life. It feels like I'm one of the luckiest people alive! I read, listen to music, write, draw, watch cool movies on the computer, watch the beautiful plants and amazing animals around here, soak up the gorgeous landscape, create virtual worlds... *sigh*. What an utterly wonderful life!

Comments

[sealwhiskers.livejournal.com]

I am very surprised by the program you describe...
I remember listening to an interview with one of our better Swedish writers and journalists, and she said that many people need to be what might commonly be classified as bored, to reach a creative state inside. Children develop the best games on rainy days when they can't do the easy stuff.
I think there is a state that makes it easy for creativity and ideas to develop, a sort of quiet place where you meet yourself with not too much interruption. Perhaps many people today are not used to that quiet place..it does take a certain state of mind to get into it..and viewed from a certain angle even some courage. I think they flee..aspects of themselves or their lives, not boredom.
On another note: Hello, I'm Ivona, also called Seal, and I happened on your journal through a mutual LJ friend and I like what you write, and therefore added you.

[miriam-e.livejournal.com]

Hi Ivona :)

What you say makes sense to me. The meditative frame of mind does seem to help me germinate ideas and grow branches of thought. It is interesting that a lot of people appear to want constant hustle and bustle, but complain of being stressed... and then when quiet time comes along then complain of boredom. It could be, as you say, that they flee aspects of themselves rather than the actual boredom. I don't really understand what they are feeling. I love the time I spend daydreaming as much as the time I spend active... just lucky I guess. :)

I envy you being in Sweden. That is one of the few other places in the world I really want to visit one day.

The mutual LJ friend is striver, yeah? :)
Nice to meet you. I've added you too as you seem an interesting person.