Start Appreciating Boredom

Boredom

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines boredom as “the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest”. This is naturally a bad thing and many people spend their entire lives trying to find ways to not be bored. Yet I find that we need to start appreciating boredom for what it is and what it gives us. Of all the emotions we have, boredom is one of the most calming; often allowing people to catch up on sleep at what some may call inopportune times i.e. a class or meeting.

The fact is being bored indicates a few things, especially for students. If you are bored that generally means you either have very little work to do, are comfortable with the amount of work you have to do or don’t care about the work you have to do, all indicating a generally positive mental state. Also it means you are not panicking trying to study for an exam.

As you go through life it also has many implications. If you are bored in your job, it means you either are in no danger of losing it, don’t know if you are in danger of losing it, or don’t care that you are in danger of losing it. In any case you are blissful in your lack of excitement. Sadly, it seems that many people are losing this boredom and others are unable to gain the boredom they seek due to the current economic instability. If you do a survey of all workers and there are more worried than there are bored, that is an indication of the lack of job security prevalent in the country. On the other hand boredom indicates comfort within the workplace, something many people wish they were able to experience at this time.
Boredom has indications for people’s personal lives also, when people are bored it generally means that there is no severe illness within their families, there is no relationship trouble to be worried about, there is no danger of houses being repossessed or utilities disconnected and the food isn’t going to run out anytime soon. All in all, everything is fine and dandy with the world.

I believe that it is high time we stop treating boredom as our enemy and start treating it as our friend, embracing it into our lives. As the saying goes, you never miss the water until the well runs dry and it is high time we started appreciating boredom for the simple satisfactions it brings to our lives. To this end, I am suggesting that we start a drive to declare September 13th national boredom day in the United Kingdom. This day could be used to teach people proper techniques to enhance boredom, give them tips for sleeping effectively while bored, and to show people 12-hour long documentaries on anti-matter. Furthermore schools nationwide could bring their children into their halls and let them stare at the walls; then, they could do an essay for homework about what boredom means to them.

On a completely different note, congratulations to everyone who has finished exams and has managed to not go completely mad and not get disgustingly drunk. These are achievements within themselves, and you should be proud, regardless of your grades. My first exam experience here was really quite an interesting one, but I think I shall discuss that in another blog.

So n e hoo, that’s it for me. Go forth and be bored with all your might, oh and Happy New Year too.