Boredom
I’ve been thinking a lot about a quote that I posted to my Success Quotes blog:
“Being bored is a matter of choice. We’ll never be bored if we ask ourselves, ‘How can I make this world a better place?’ We can turn our answers into action.†— Keep It Simple, April 13th
I know that in my own life, there are tons of things that I could be doing if I’m ever bored. Or engaged in something that isn’t productive or enjoyable.
Productive or enjoyable. Isn’t doing things that are simply enjoyable a productive activity? I’m not talking about complete hedonism here, but curling up with a good book (and not even a self help book!), watching a quality television show, going for a walk just to go for a walk… does there always have to be a definite purpose to everything we do?
Once again, I’ll look at the results that I’ve gotten. I’ve always looked at things done just for fun as a waste of time… but then I’ll “waste” even more time aimlessly flipping channels on the television or blindly surfing the internet.
I think that when I do that stuff, I’m trying to fulfill a need for enjoyment that I haven’t learned how to satisfy any other way.
En Joy Ment — Injecting Joy
Time to do more of that.
I think that it’ll be pretty darn productive.
And it’ll keep me from being bored.
This post has 4 comments
April 15th, 2006
hello,
Boredom if not corrected will not stay simple boredom, but will be move on to things that will lead in the opposite direction of enjoyment.
The last line of the Divine Science statement of belief:
The divine purpose of life is to express the joy of life.
You are correct, the teacher in you is teaching you well.
There is a difference between enjoying something and having fun or pacifying boredom.
I go to the beach quite abit. I don’t really do anything. Sit and watch the ocean, walk the beach, think, just enjoy the beach. Now, I could be doing some things that would seem more productive.
But, this is productive, I need some time for just simple enjoyment of life.
April 19th, 2006
It’s so true!
T.V. in itself is not a bad thing, but if you get hooked on watching T.V. because of boredom, uh oh! Not good! (I used to watch so much T.V. it was unreal!) But watching something because you know you’re in some way learning something, enjoying the humour of a show, or keeping up to date with current affairs is important. I still occasionally slip into my old ways of watching just because the t.v. is on, but as soon as I realise, I turn it off, and think about what I could be doing instead in a productive way, or, what was I avoiding doing by watching T.V.?
Great post Lyman!
April 25th, 2006
That is a great quote about boredom. It is true that as long as we ask ourselves what we can do to make the world better, we will no longer be bored. That also works for self-centeredness too. Sometimes I come across a lot of blogs where men and women are complaining about their depression, lack of a love life, and some of them are really really sad. It just seems that they tend to think about themselves a lot and how miserable their own situation is. So, I usually tell them to see what they can do to better someone else’s life first.
April 25th, 2006
I haven’t been responding to the comments here like I want to. I apologize for that. I have been reading them, and then putting off the replies until “later.”
Franklin: You’re right about it leading to things that aren’t very enjoyable! At least long term they aren’t… And I really like that Divine Science idea.
Amit: Thanks! You know, I just realized that, even though I’ve been off from the day job today and working here at home, I haven’t had the television on once! That must be a first for me. I’ve either been working in the silence, or had audio seminars and interviews playing in the background on the computer.
Jay: Thanks for the comment! It is true, that one of the best cures for depression is to get out of that self-centeredness and do something good for someone else. It provides that shot of natural chemicals that we all need to keep going. Your blog provided me with some of those natural chemicals today, BTW. It really put a smile on my face!
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