My dad used to say boredom was good, naturally, I thought “Bullshit, no it’s not”.
But 20 years later, that wise old phrase has come back to me as ringing true. So why the shift? Why do I now realize that boredom is indeed good?
Well, I now see that constant entertainment stifles creativity, it can have the potential to block us from what we ‘should/want’ to be doing with spare time (i.e. studying, exercising, working on your passion project etc….). And you know what, it pisses me off.
With a bit of thought and research, you realize the odds are not in our favour regarding the entertainment industry. These companies have people in their employ who are there for one fundamental reason… that is keeping you on their platform, doing whatever it is that you’re doing for as long as possible. So of course, you end up losing. I mean it’s silly little you vs some of the smartest minds with endless resources. Of course, we lose. But that isn’t to say we shouldn’t take responsibility for our actions. On the contrary, we should. So much so that we break free from constant mindless entertainment that is being shoved down our throats and start moving toward a mindset that we are in control of, not our devices. Next time you wake up from a doom scrolling session consisting of cats and people having a winge, take stock of how you feel. I’m willing to bet you feel a little cheated at a minimum.
Let’s get back to boredom for a second. I think that through boredom we allow ourselves to slowly gravitate towards the things that actually interest us. Maybe an old hobby or activity from your past, or taking the first steps towards your dream career, as terrifying as that sounds.
So why not flip the switch from “boredom = bad” to “boredom = opportunity”.
