I find the notion of boredom interesting (surely that's an oxymoron). I think I have a reasonably high boredom threshold. I can spend hours by myself doing nothing and not feel "bored" - although when I say 'doing nothing', maybe stuffing around or daydreaming would be more accurate, which isn't exactly doing nothing. I've tried the Buddhist meditation technique of sitting still with an "empty" mind but I've not been very successful. But then I don't really believe it's something I need to do, in fact I'm not entirely sure why I tried it, perhaps to calm myself? But I can calm myself reasonably well, especially by stuffing around and daydreaming. I guess a thing can be boring if there's no motivation attached to it.
Times when I have felt bored are when I've been stuck in situations I'm unengaged with and from which I would like to remove myself, but cannot. Frustrated would be another useful word for such situations. If I have complete freedom I can always find something to engage me. But complete freedom comes at a cost. If, for example, I'm talking with/at someone (who I'll call Hieronymus) with unrelenting enthusiasm and verbosity about "The Brothers Karamazov", and Hieronymus isn't remotely interested (yeah, I know, it's unlikely that anyone would be uninterested in Karamazov, but it is a hypothetical situation) and is thus, incredibly bored, she has the FREEDOM to walk away and/or shout at me "For God's sake, will you stop talking about the fecking brothers Karamazov". Now, being that I'm very sensitive, I will mull over this for the rest of my life and, in all likelihood, never again talk to Hieronymus about "The Brothers Karamazov". And this would be a tragedy... for me, at least, probably not so much for Hieronymus. Uh...actually this probably wasn't a very good example, except to highlight that had Hieronymus acted in the expected and civilized way, endured her boredom and kept listening to me, even though her brain was beginning to cannibalize itself, there would not have been any shouting or bad language. AND Hieronymus might have learned something about an esoteric and antiquated topic, which may have been useful to her one day.
The workplace, of course, is a vast arena of potential boredom, and frustration, and anxiety - I seem to have gone slightly off topic. Although I think there are connections; being trapped with nothing to stimulate your mind can lead to unhealthy ruminations, which in turn can lead to anxiety. I guess the most likely workplace boredom scenario is being trapped doing a dull task. But "dull" is very subjective. There are some seemingly dull tasks that I quite like doing; I can't get enough of filling up the Gilson racks for purification (this will only make sense to people who work at my workplace or who have used a Gilson 215 liquid handler/injector automated system*), it soothes my obsessive-compulsive urges. My main workplace "boredom" is being trapped doing a task I can't do. "Trapped" seems to be a key theme running through this paragraph.
But the all-time, number one possibility for boredom is "social situations". It's fertile ground, for me anyway. I don't know if this is due to my being an introvert or that I have misanthropic tendencies - "misanthropic tendencies" sounds exciting (not at all boring!), certainly more exciting than "being an introvert". I think the problem is that I'm no longer motivated to be civil or engage in 'polite' conversation - which may explain why people don't invite me to parties anymore, and I don't always turn up when they do. I can usually cope in a social situation if I keep to the shadows and have an escape plan. But the one social situation for which there is no reprieve is a WEDDING. Nooooooooooooooooo! Literally stuck at a table with God-knows-who, forced to listen to drunken speeches and no possibility of escape until the bride and groom leave. Whoever invented weddings should be tortured - preferably at a wedding.
All in all, I think it's best for society that I've honed my hermit skills. And, potentially, these skills can benefit society (other than keeping my craziness out of the way). If society ever needs someone to be put into solitary confinement for an extended period of time, an introvert is the way to go. Or, if extroverts find themselves starting to be freaked out by the world (probably sometime in their mid-life), they can find solace by talking to an introvert (introverts tend to be good listeners). Plus, introverts have been freaked out by the world since birth, so we'll completely understand.
(I wonder if writing a boring blog entry about boredom is ironic?)
* Gilson 215 liquid handler/injector automated system:
4 comments:
To be bored is strengthening for the character. There is not enough boredom in your 21st century. When I was alive I needed at least 4 to 6 hours of boredom EVERY DAY, otherwise I didn't feel complete.
i'm interested in the concept that boring can be interesting and believe there is merit in that proposal. at the moment my work involves reading a lot of reports on audit matters. i can definitely get bored reading them - and tired and distracted too. But i also find the subject matter to be interesting and the results of their work very relevant. so i'm pleased that boredom is an element of my work
Agreed. The birthright of the introvert IS the high boredom threshold. Introverts do chafe at weddings, parties, (esp. Pool Parties and the Backyard Bar B Que), and many other external gatherings. I enjoy my forays to supermarket as well, as it affords me a reason to leave the house. Unless duct taped to a chair in the basement, I am not bored.
I hate it when I get duct taped to a chair in the basement - most inconvenient!
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