Bored...

[poliphilo]

...Is a word I refuse to apply to myself. I made this decision a while back and I'm sticking to it.

Sad, yes- that's OK. Depressed, well I try to keep away from that one too, but I realise it's not so much within my power.

But bored- that's wilful. That's an attitude of mind. A pose. It can be avoided.

It's a teen thing. It goes with growing pains and thwarted impulses. I'm a grown up, well-educated human being. I have resources.

There's books and movies and newspapers and websites. There's even other human beings.

There's jobs to be done. There's daydreams.

I just repaired the (very large) cardboard box the rabbits use as a warren. They'd eaten away one whole wall, so I patched it up for them. My, that was bracing! That was invigorating!

To be bored is to insult the Creator (if there is one). I don't generally have a problem about being rude to the gods (often they deserve it) but in this case it's just so unfair. This world has loads wrong with it but you can't say it's not interesting. It's too full of stuff (much of it horrible) to be boring.

As Stevenson said,

The world is so full of of a number of things.
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.

Comments

[nancytoday.livejournal.com]

I'm convinced that the state of boredom happens when there's something you really want to do, but for some reason you can't do it.

I agree with you. I have no room in my life for boredom! I'm interested in too many thing! However, that said, winter does it's best to push me there!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

That's more like frustration isn't it? You want to be doing something but you can't. Boredom is more like when there's nothing you want to do- or can be bothered to do.

I agree about winter. These past few days I've felt like I'm coming out of hibernation.

[nancytoday.livejournal.com]

I would have thought that myself. But over 28 years of raising five children, everytime they told me they were bored, I've always asked what it is that they really want to do. There's always something. They want to play a computer game but it's broken. They want to have someone over but it can't happen.

I have also seen another situation. There is something that is in the person's face that needs doing, but they don't want to do it. It's so much in their face that nothing else can hold their attention. So they are bored.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I think there are several states of mind covered by the word "boredom". You've described one of them well. I think this is another reason I'm not too keen on the word; it's just so imprecise.

[(Anonymous)]

The definition I like to use for being bored is the state where none of the possible courses of action open to you hold any appeal. Unfortunately this can occur, for instance when you're at work. Being at work your options can be severely limited, e.g. beep the next tin of beans through the till... erm can't think of any other options in that case, except for those which would end up in disciplinary action.
It can be hard to find a job which you actually look forward to attending, so I would say boredom at work is a legitimate state for a lot of people.
Being bored in your downtime is not acceptable, especially if you find yourself regularly bored in your uptime.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, boredom at work and boredom in your downtime are really two different things. One is imposed on you and the other isn't. We need to expand the English language here.

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

Boredom is a terrible, terrible curse for me. I get bored very easily, and I start to get creative about solving it... often in very self-destructive ways.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I have a short attention span. I'm always wanting to move on to whatever comes next.

I nearly destroyed myself in my mid-thirties. Since then I've been more careful.

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

That wouldn't have been in the 80s, would it? I was in my mid-thirties in the 80s. There was LOTS of opportunity for self-destructive boredom-relief back then.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yeah, 1986 to be precise, when I was 35. I dropped out of a marriage and a career (in the church) at one and the same time.

Seems like we're more or less the same age.

[wyrmwwd.livejournal.com]

In 1986 I broke up from my 2nd of 3 polyamorous relationships and embarked on the pursuit of happiness by turning sex into an extreme sport.

Yup... I think we may be about the same age.

[dadi.livejournal.com]

Honestly, the concept itself of "boring" has always escaped me. At least after I learned to read at the age of 3 and a half years. There is always too few time to read all the books I want to read, and now, to follow all my friends' doings on the internet. Not to talk about the other millions of things I love to do. I don't think I have been bored one single moment in my life, because even if I am stranded somewhere without anything to read, listen to or write, my own mind is still such a kaleidoscope where always something is happening.. I think I am constitutionally unable to boredom. But the downside of this is that I don't sleep well.. that selfsame mind doesn't like to be shut down at all...!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Who can be bored in a world that contains books?

Like you I've got a list of things I want to read. Next up, Vanity Fair- then maybe some more Thackeray. And a friend just recommended Frances Hodgson Burnett...

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

I have to agree with you. I have been many things in my life: miserable, happy, frightened - usually accompanied by being broke, delierious with joy - first real spring days, sad and clincally depressed - but never bored.

Oh, one exception: I used to have some of the falling asleep problems that Dadi describes. I found a mantra that I repeat over and over until I bore myself to sleep.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I review the events of the day with a view to writing them up in LJ. I find that usually sends me off to sleep.

[saare-snowqueen.livejournal.com]

Unfortunately for me, reviewing the events of the day usually wakes me up so much that I have to get up and write things down or I can't let go of them at all.

[manfalling.livejournal.com]

I've often felt bored in the past. I've used LJ as a place to vent said boredom, knowing full well at the time it was an angsty and dull thing to do.

I made a similar decision to you to not think of myself as bored. There are always things to do. Often they are not the things I'd want to do. Write a story- but it's too much effort! Fill out your tax return- too much effort! etc..

Faced this problem last night. And wrote a story. Today? Filled out and filed my tax returns. Now- feeling like I accomplished something.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

You're right; there's always something to do. It's just a matter of getting over that hurdle of "this is too much like hard work".

If really pushed I pick up a book.