The Many Faces of Boredom
Created | Updated Oct 4, 2004
Boredom comes in many forms and is indeed an interesting facet of the human experiance. Many people enjoy being bored on a daily basis, while others choose to put off being bored until such a time as they need reminding again of just how boring things can be.
There are many methods of securing boredom.
As has already been elluded to, some people find jobs for themselves that will guarantee a lifetime away from any kind of minor thrill whatsoever. While others, who have procured for themselves a somewhat stimulating form of employment, will carefully select books, films or other types of general "entertainment" that they subconsciously (or semi-consciously, as the case may be) recognise to be of the variety that will ensure a boring experience. In fact, it's often the case that people doing boring jobs will then go and indulge in more boredom by following the actions of their more exhilerated-about-work cousins.
So what is it about a state of mind that has been deliciously numbed by the purest boredom that we all, in our way, put ourselves into positions that will bring it about? What makes us want to be bored?
And (perhaps more curiously) what is it about us that motivates us to try and free ourselves from boredom's comfortable clasp once there?
Could it be the case that there are two types of being at work in the world within? One is an exagerated Sisyphusian, relishing every moment with excited joy and wanderlust, ever enquiring the surrounds with an easily suprised pair of wide eyes. It is the part of us that makes us pine to hunt for new experiances, and naggs us when we don't quite notice them. It is the Sisyphusian within which relishes in the fact that it's constantly tugging at our conscious for attention over the ancient monk. This other side of ourselves wishes only that we would be still. For, deep down, we suspect that if everything were to be veiwed through eyes that emulated the clear purity of an un-rippled body of water, all would make perfect sense.
One could say that the negative side of excitement arises when the inner monk starts to feel like its being neglected far too much, and we soon find that it won't stop being irritable until we quell our urge to base-jump.
Conversely, the negative side of boredom is only felt when the neglected Sisyphusian within awakens to the fact that there are more buildings out there than there are days in the year, and so we should hurl ourselves off as many of them as we can, while we can.
Boredom has a bad reputation, despite the fact that it has been with us longer than history will tell. We can't quite be sure where boredom came from, or even why we have it, but it's something we all need to respect a little more if we wish to stop hearing in the news about lawsuits to parachute manufacturers.
There are many methods of securing boredom.
As has already been elluded to, some people find jobs for themselves that will guarantee a lifetime away from any kind of minor thrill whatsoever. While others, who have procured for themselves a somewhat stimulating form of employment, will carefully select books, films or other types of general "entertainment" that they subconsciously (or semi-consciously, as the case may be) recognise to be of the variety that will ensure a boring experience. In fact, it's often the case that people doing boring jobs will then go and indulge in more boredom by following the actions of their more exhilerated-about-work cousins.
So what is it about a state of mind that has been deliciously numbed by the purest boredom that we all, in our way, put ourselves into positions that will bring it about? What makes us want to be bored?
And (perhaps more curiously) what is it about us that motivates us to try and free ourselves from boredom's comfortable clasp once there?
Could it be the case that there are two types of being at work in the world within? One is an exagerated Sisyphusian, relishing every moment with excited joy and wanderlust, ever enquiring the surrounds with an easily suprised pair of wide eyes. It is the part of us that makes us pine to hunt for new experiances, and naggs us when we don't quite notice them. It is the Sisyphusian within which relishes in the fact that it's constantly tugging at our conscious for attention over the ancient monk. This other side of ourselves wishes only that we would be still. For, deep down, we suspect that if everything were to be veiwed through eyes that emulated the clear purity of an un-rippled body of water, all would make perfect sense.
One could say that the negative side of excitement arises when the inner monk starts to feel like its being neglected far too much, and we soon find that it won't stop being irritable until we quell our urge to base-jump.
Conversely, the negative side of boredom is only felt when the neglected Sisyphusian within awakens to the fact that there are more buildings out there than there are days in the year, and so we should hurl ourselves off as many of them as we can, while we can.
Boredom has a bad reputation, despite the fact that it has been with us longer than history will tell. We can't quite be sure where boredom came from, or even why we have it, but it's something we all need to respect a little more if we wish to stop hearing in the news about lawsuits to parachute manufacturers.
