Call me weird, but I don’t get boredom. It seems to be a uniquely human affliction. When someone says they’re bored, I’m asking them how that is possible. How can someone not have anything to occupy themselves with? I mean, nothing? Not a single thing comes to mind?
You don’t watch movies or TV? And those are only the obvious ones that don’t even require you to think. But it passes the time, if you’re stumped for anything more entertaining or worthwhile.
My first thought goes more like: There are no books around you? You don’t read?
Clean up your room. That may not be entertaining, but it can be worthwhile and is certainly not boring. Annoying maybe, possibly infuriating, but not boring.
How about going on a walk? Is that boring, too? Can you not be left alone with your own thoughts? Is a little fresh air going to do you any harm or is that little bit of exercise too much?
We live in a world full of wonder, and you are bored? What is wrong with you? Are you blind? Some part of you must be, if you can’t see the beauty and marvel around you.
I am never bored. If my mind is idle, it’ll go looking for something interesting and it can look just about anywhere and will find something.
If I feel restless, because I’ve been still for too long, I will move, my body will move on its own volition. Neither my mind nor my body acted out of boredom, though.
If you’re bored, you truly don’t know what to do with yourself. Your current status is overwhelmingly underwhelming, but you don’t have the slightest idea how to get out of there.
That is something that never happens to me. If I see anything like that approach, I will move out of its way and take another route. Easy.
Have you ever read “Interesting Times” by Terry Pratchett? It’s no secret that I love, love, love the Discworld novels. Well, “Interesting Times” starts like this:
There is a curse.
They say:
May you live in interesting times.
Well, it’s definitely a curse for one of the Discworlds main recurring characters the Wizzard (yes, two z) Rincewind. All he longs for is boredom. The most plain and boring life imaginable. But he’s living on the Discworld, so there’s a fat chance of that happening.
Now, we live on Roundworld. Otherwise known as Earth. It obeys quite a different set of rules than Discworld, but that doesn’t make it any less interesting.
Basically, what I’m trying to say is this: if you have eyes to see, you can never be bored; if you have a body to move in, you can never be stuck, because your body can carry you to the most amazing places; if you have a mind to inquire, you will find that you live in interesting times.
If you’re still bored and stuck and unable to escape that dreaded boredom, go and read that book. There’s no better form of escapism than visiting Discworld.
And if that doesn’t help, well, I’m afraid there’s no helping you.
2clouds 