In the midst of a global pandemic, many are wrestling with a foe that is both persistent and ubiquitous: boredom. We miss the concerts, the shopping, the restaurants and parties. Stuck at home, we find ourselves retreating to our more domestic diversions like social media, Netflix and video games.
When our own mind is where most of our nightmares reside, it is tempting to seek escapism, to venture into realities that, however briefly, provide some respite from the hamster wheel of anxiety. These diversions give us the dopamine hit that makes a long day bearable and keep a dangerous mind occupied. Boredom, it would seem, is where the devil reigns.
All of these diversions, though, carry with them a severe limitation: once we tear ourselves away, we find ourselves right where we started, facing the same problems. After the Netflix binge or downing of the digital world boss in the latest game, we are still left with that nagging dread about a virus or the decline of democratic institutions. The time spent on escapism is simply lost, and we are no better for it.
But what if moments of silence and the cessation of inputs might actually be the key to beating the anxiety we feel? What lies beyond boredom?
Stepping Away
To find out, we must first unplug. That means giving up on ingesting so much media. We must reduce or eliminate consumption of the news, turn off the television and put the Nintendo switch down. Look around. Take it in.
In many cases, we have to admit that the things that give us anxiety have been gifted to us by sensational media. The manufacturers of “news” have a profound interest in making each day seem pivotal in the saga of human history. In a life with no downtime, the mind is overwhelmed.
Once the seed of dread is planted, our escape through television and gaming allows unfettered germination and growth. Our minds, never granted the opportunity to tackle and resolve the complex web of calamities, seems to forever confront the same invincible nest of woes.
Stepping away is key. First, we stop adding to the mess within. Second, we begin to untangle the thought fragments which make up our Frankenstein of gloom.
On the Other Side
Once we have silenced or drastically reduced the inputs and distractions, we will have to face the things we have been avoiding, but the longer we think on them, the more capable we are of sorting them. We can isolate and discard the things that do not truly impact us or are beyond our control. We can focus on the problems at hand, those within our control, and establish how we intend to address them.
It is at this point that the world begins to open to us, anew. Empty hours begin to call to us to read books which enrich us. Rather than listening to the creation of others, we might dust off the guitar that has been lurking in the back of our closet. The void left by the purging of distraction is filled with creativity, with a return of values and priorities which speak to us and empower us.
The point is not what we do after boredom has set in, but to trust in boredom to open up new possibilities. So long as we are distracted, the fruits of boredom are difficult to imagine, and never tempting. Instead, boredom allows us to rediscover activities which create memories, refine our values, and change us as people.
It is through boredom and the stillness that follows that we can begin to hear our inner voices, those that give meaning and purpose to life. And on the other side of boredom, we find ourselves changed. Stronger. Inspired.
So, let us not mourn the loss of the old normal that was rooted in shallow distraction and left us so vulnerable to the whims of fate. Let us be bored like our ancestors once were, and create meaning from within so that no external force might sway it.
