Need of Boredom
Is being bored actually beneficial to us?
Okay!
With great purpose, I sat down leaning forward, my mind hopping along many different possible ideas to choose from, but apparently landing on none. It was just one of those times when I had the pen and paper in my hands, but no ink in my mind.
Deciding on one idea is never the problem…
I realized.
Deciding to write upon one is.
I sighed then.
I feel very lazy!
And to that, I vividly nodded. I did feel, in fact, incredibly lazy at the moment. With my mind no longer focusing on what to write, rather on my mode of procrastination, I immediately started to feel the familiar feeling of being bored.
What should I do now?
I sat un-purposeful, leaning back then with nothing held in my hands, only to realize that I can hold something in my hands.
Quickly, I picked up my phone which was kept aside. Instantly unlocking it as an unthinking reflex, I began checking the latest notifications, among which one said,
… liked a message you sent
Oh, which message did they like?
I wondered.
I should check that!
On I went, tapping on this popup and reaching this mysterious text of mine which they apparently liked.
Wait!
It all felt familiar.
I have already seen it before.
I clearly remembered.
Why did I get this notified again?
I grew peculiar.
I swiped to go back, but suddenly, my eyes were enormously and alluringly spammed by an entire feed of colorful images. Red encircled faces, most of whom I hardly know as if begging me to be tapped upon and seen.
What’s the harm in that?
I decided, giving away and beginning the never-ending cycle of sliding stories one after another.
Soon, I found myself lying on the bed, no longer sliding, but scrolling down the infinite black hole of relatable memes. Momentarily, my eyes had gone up, and I noticed the battery percentage.
30%
No matter!
I will charge in a while…
I concluded.
15%
Battery Saver mode enabled
What!?
I couldn’t believe it.
When did that happen?
Clearly not realizing the passage of time, my once lazy feeling body had to forcefully get up and put the wretched phone on charge. That is particularly when I glanced over at the blank paper and pen laid on one side of the lone table.
Oh, right…
I remembered, plugging in my device, and sitting down once again to offer my writing.
Out of the blue, the lights of my entire vicinity had gone out. It became pitch black in a flash.
What the…!?
I shook my head, looking at my non-charging screen then, seeing the time it reflected.
8:03 pm
Why at this hour?
I sighed, sitting in absolute darkness. I accessed the torch of my phone, trying to bring some visibility back to my spectrum. But soon, the sight was no longer the problem, the temperature was.
Man, it’s hot!
My mind sparked, my head profusely sweating then.
Why in this weather!?
I felt somewhat growing of frustration.
Feels like I am inside an oven!
Moments later, my body decided upon a new and growing fact.
I cannot stay sitting here!
Quickly, putting off the torch and sliding the phone into my pocket, I shot up, leaving the room entirely.
Heading up to my terrace, I ultimately reached the highest point accessible of my house in search of some, or any, airy relief. Arriving, I gazed around and up the darkened aura, only to find an incredible sight glaring back at me.
Within the startling night sky, stars, some of them twinkling just bright enough, had managed to peel through the thin and hazy clouds, while the full-faced moon, lone king of this reign, shone incredible bright across this elusive dark spectrum.
Wow!
My breath escaped.
I have to take a photo of this!
I naturally thought, bringing out my phone, turning on the camera, pointing it straight upwards, and beginning to tweak settings for a better picture. I clicked and witnessed the quick results.
Not good enough…
I pointed to take another picture when suddenly, the dull screen of before prompted a new message altogether.
Battery low
Shutting down
And just like that, my phone was dead. I sighed once again, shaking my head in this dire situation. Then turning my eyes to gaze upwards at the alluring view, not through a screen, but with my bare eyes this time, I realized another truth.
Looks better in real life anyway!
I chuckled.
Soon, out in this aura, a gentle breeze began to hit my cold-sweating face. Momentarily, it started to feel like heaven.
Why was I ever down in my room?
I wondered.
A considerable while had gone by. Instinctively, my hand had gone straight to my pocket to see the time, but I stopped halfway realizing the vain nature of it. I then peered around at neighboring rooftops, many of which, unsurprisingly had screens planted right ahead of their glowing faces.
Some more immeasurable moments passed, it grew pitch silent after. I sighed purposelessly. Inevitably, after enough admiration of the view and no device to record that admiration with, I started to feel the familiar feeling of being bored. As a reflex, my hand again went into my pocket, realizing once more that this won’t serve any good at the moment.
What to do now?
Instantly, as if the sole answer to my question, a figure behind me rose into existence. Surprisingly, I knew exactly what, or rather who it was.
My Speculative Mind.
“What are we doing here?” it asked.
“Nothing, really…” I answered.
“Unacceptable. We cannot stay doing nothing. Do something at least!”
“I don’t know…” I felt unknowing. “What do you suggest?”
“Walk.”
“Already did that.”
“Then do it again. Don’t stay still.”
“Why? What is the point?”
“I cannot stay stationary! Do something!” it pushed. “Move, dance, anything!”
“There is nothing to do!”
Utter silence then struck for a few moments, before My Speculative Mind began of speech yet again.
“By the way…” it added. “What actually are we doing here?”
I instantly knew that my mind was no longer concerned with my physical coordinates.
“Just trying to make a mark on the world… “ I began. “Something to live by, something to leave behind… a legacy of one kind. So, that I am remembered long after I am gone,” I took a deep breath then. “Just trying for it all…”
“Trying?” it interrupted. “How exactly are we trying?”
“By doing things that matter… writing, expressing my inner thoughts, sharing my ideas to the world, doing something good, and maybe helping people in the process.”
“Okay, so… is that our sole purpose? To share, to write?”
“More or less…”
“Then why aren’t we?”
Quickly taken aback by the sheerness of this question, I felt incredibly speechless, before beginning to answer moments after. “I think I have become lazy.”
“No, we have become stupid!” it proclaimed. “And quite easily distracted!”
“I guess, you might be right…”
“I know that I am right!”
I felt the truth hit me.
“Now, I will ask again…” My Speculative Mind offered boldly. “If we want to write, then why are not we?”
And for a good minute or so, I could not form an answer.
Abruptly then, breaking all of the imminent and self-reflective silence, I saw lights come sparking back on across each of the visible houses. Fans started working, coolers began spinning, condenser units of ACs started whiffing, and television sets started blaring. Eventually, I realized that My Speculative Mind had disappeared quickly as it arrived. But its echoing words did not.
Striding down the stairs with purpose, I ultimately reached my then-lighted room. Entering, right on the designated table, I saw the old blank paper and pen inviting me to scribble my thoughts over. Without skipping a beat, I had plugged in my phone on charge, kept it far away this time, and sat down to script the title of what I would elate.
Need of Boredom
Yes, boredom.
It is often explained as “An aversive state of wanting, but being unable, to engage in some satisfying activity”. The keyword to focus on here is satisfying. As in common terms, we can say that when we have no interesting or satisfying task to perform, either physically or mentally, that particular state is known as boredom.
And when it inevitably arrives, our brains quickly want to shift from this horrid state quickly as possible.
Our brains are ridiculously complex objects. They make split-second decisions every second since we are birthed into this world, and it’s understandable as to why they would absolutely hate to stay still, hate being the keyword here.
But this is all what only seems like from the surface because once we dive deeper into this peculiar state of boredom, we ultimately realize that our brains, now more than ever, are in dire need of being bored.
Let me explain why.
In a recent study performed (link at the end of this blog), several trials were prescribed involving students who were shut inside a small room with nothing but plain walls on all four sides. They were further asked to sit alone, only use their self-thoughts to entertain themselves, and left for 15–30 minutes within this state.
To add an interesting yet crucial spin, there was a red button placed well within the subject’s reach, which they were told would give a quick jolt, an electric shock mildly painful to their body when pressed.
Surprisingly enough, the study showed that 25% of women, and up to 65% of men purposefully ended up choosing to press the red button and administer electric shocks to their bodies willingly. Some even more than once, in fact. They all ultimately chose to inflict pain over experiencing pure boredom. How mind-boggling is that!?
Now, unsurprisingly, this clearly shows that boredom can be absolutely an unpleasant experience. Much so that one would rather induce pain than endure being bored.
But think of how a bitter medicine works, tastes horrible at first, rather be most effective in healing after.
Similar can be said for our minds experiencing boredom. Because only when we are in this particular state, our mind starts to wander, and the bitterness feels to grow uncomfortable at first. But then it begins to really ponder upon things that it absolutely should. It begins questioning and digging itself, as to the real meaning of its existence and purpose.
And only in this state, one can realize what actually matters to them and what doesn’t. What actually gives happiness and what doesn’t.
What are we doing?
What is the purpose of this?
Where is this leading me?
Finding the answer to each one of these questions holds a crucial place in each of our lives. Every once in a while, our mind needs correcting, our lives need navigating.
Have we got down the wrong path?
Should I start pursuing what I love?
Am I proud of what I am doing with my life?
These questions can prove incredibly bitter like medicine and hit like lightning to our minds and soul. But sometimes, our lives are just in need of this lightning, so that it jolts us into doing things that we actually want to.
This encapsulation of mind within itself, of boredom, is undoubtedly necessary, as it can directly lead us into taking actions that might well turn out to be entirely positive for our livelihood, actions that one would never take without the existence of this state.
But now, more than ever, we have devised countless ways to avoid boredom, to distract our brains momentarily and evidently, like one would do to a mere child so they stop crying, so they stop thinking completely. Because doing that is incredibly easy, distracting our brain is stupendously easy.
The moment our mind indicates “I am bored!”, out comes our phones and tablets, our mind-numbing devices, infinitely taming our brains from never reaching that crucial state of boredom, to never start questioning our thoughts, happiness, and actions, to never ponder of our purpose and will, to not only ask “Who do I want to become?”, but also “What am I doing about it right now?”
In a way, we all are no different than those students who willingly administrated shocks to their own selves rather than being bored. Instead in our case, the pain is not being registered as physical, rather mental in nature. It is our whole lives that are ending up damaged in the process.
By avoiding our state of boredom, we avoid the most important state of self-retrospect, self-evaluation, and of our entire life’s judgment. We need to ask ourselves, “When was the last time I sat alone with just my thoughts?”
Sure, seldom the very mention of being bored, of being left alone with only our revolving thoughts, can scare or even frighten some of our gravely overthinking-prone and traumatized minds. But while mere distractions do help us ease through this process, it can’t always be the solution. We have to face our own selves, our own fears in the end. And the state of boredom allows just that to happen unfiltered. It is dire in our lives.
Remember when we were mere toddlers, we had no phones, no media, and yet we never once felt such unpleasantness of being bored. Our thoughts of vivid creativity occupied our whole brains. “I want to do this, I want to do that!” we shouted in our heads. We developed entire theme parks of happiness inside our little minds. We were never afraid of being bored. Throw us into a fire and we would come out wielding it.
Let us try to bring some of that back. Let us try to not be sickened or un-pleasant-ed by boredom. Let us invite this state, its process of retrospect, and be no longer afraid of our very own thoughts. Because we are sentient beings. If we do not merely think, then who really are we?
So, the next time when we feel this familiar feeling of being bored, we would have a simple yet possibly life-altering choice to make.
Do we take out our phones, media, and distractions to avoid this state?
Or
Do we invite boredom seldom into our lives, and travel wherever our brooding thoughts might take?
The choice, as always, is ours.
Thank you so much for staying and reading till the end! It’s avid readers like you who push me to write in the first place :)
If you are further intrigued by the study on boredom as I am, click on the highlighted text: Study on Boredom to read more about it.
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