Have you ever noticed the kind of malaise, weariness and apathy that comes along with boredom?
Boredom is quite different from having idle, free or discretionary time. Discretionary time is like realizing you have more money than you thought. Boredom feels very different. Have you ever noticed the kind of things you find yourself drawn to doing when you are bored? They don’t tend to be the kind of things you are eager to get into like that art project you’ve been wanting to start, or the new book you were wanting to read. Do you have a classic activity that you turn to when bored? The other day a friend of ours said, "I’m just sitting here boredom eating."
That’s what sparked this newsletter. We think all of us have an activity that we use to ameliorate the boredom doldrums. We have a suspicion that for most of you the activity would be put into the "vice" category. Or at least the way you do it - like "over-exercising." We’re not sure. We would love some responses to this one to check our theory out, but our hunch is, our friend is not the only one who finds himself drawn to overindulge or participate in activities that normally he would consider not good for him when he is bored.
And here’s why: Boredom is a devolved state of anger. So, boredom comes when we have been suppressing our anger. As an interesting experiment, the next time you are bored instead of asking yourself what should I do now? Ask yourself, who or what am I angry at?
To a new definition of boredom.
