“I’m bored.”
You are connected to the largest, most easily accessible repository of information in the history of time by so many orders of magnitude that words are insufficient to convey the significance of the difference. In less than half a second you can watch a tutorial video on nearly any topic from gunsmithing to philosophy. You can take courses from Ivy League institutions that people pay tens of thousands of dollars for – for free. There is a device that is smaller and lighter than a paperback book can hold over 2000 books at a time and access over 1 million books including approximately 42,000 classic books that have stood the test of time and are free. You can start a business in any number of directions ranging from selling arts and crafts to an enormous marketplace of buyers to charging $5 for quick digital tasks. There are online communities for every hobby, fetish, disease, sport, addiction, job, or desire imaginable filled with people who have a desire to connect on the topic they have in common.
But you’re “feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity?”
No, you don’t get to be bored.
As I get a little bit older the aphorisms my parents taught me as I was growing up have bubbled to the surface. One of the things my mom would say was “I’m bored is something idiots say.”
You’re not an idiot, are you? I don’t think you’re an idiot.
If you’re bored you have the choice to change direction and do something to occupy your mind or body.
There are some things that don’t give you a lot of choices. If you’re tired you have to go to sleep. If you’re hungry you have to eat. If you’re bored you have a million and one different ways to change that.
This is so, so true.
“Boring people get bored.”
Fully agree with this Dave. But do you ever think that the overwhelming amount of choice of things to do can actually promote people saying “I’m bored”?
The reason I ask is I recently simultaneously lost my TV connection and internet in my flat. Usually after work I’d sit down in front of the idiot box and eat my dinner, continue to watch something inane while maybe scouring youtube then turn in for bed. If you asked me at any point how I felt during that time, there’s a good chance I’d say I was bored.
However, now with those things removed, I’m always fully engaged in my free time at home either reading, writing or calling/visiting friends. I think that the overwhelming number of choices provided by the Internet is truly a wonder, however the natural human inclination is to take the path requiring the least effort (especially when energy/willpower levels are low) leading to mindless TV/youtube sessions and the feeling of boredom.
Personally, I’m going to keep the Internet and TV connection out of my flat for now as my productivity and overall engagement with the activity at hand has increased so much.
In opposition to your final paragraph-maybe too much choice is a bad thing?
Just my two cents.
I don’t disagree with you. Consider that habit is a powerful motivator.