The Benefits of Boredom

I was flipping through the pages of Reader's Digest Feb issue this morning when I came across this interesting article.

I have always thought that being in a constant state of unproductiveness makes one dull, languid and well, painfully boring. But in all those times of plunging into yet another daydreaming streak, more often than not, I would find myself writing about random things; short doodles that almost doesn't mean anything to any poignant reader but to me, is the very reason why I have tons of writing that are still kept in hiding for God knows how long.

Yes, I am a frustrated writer eaten up by my own reticence.
A writer during my day's most monotonous moments.
And this article by Carolyn Johnson proves that we all can be dynamic even in ennui.

Read on.


THE BENEFITS OF BOREDOM

"Boredom's Doldrums were unavoidable, yet also a primordial soup for some of life's most quintessentially human moments... A long drive home after a frustrating day could force ruminations. A pang of homesickness at the start of a plane ride might put a journey in perspective. "Increasingly, these empty moments are being saturated with productivity, communication and the digital distractions offered by an ever-expanding array of slick mobile devices...
"But are we too busy twirling through the songs on our iPods - while checking email, while changing lanes on the highway - to consider whether we are giving up a good thing? We are most human when we feel dull. Lolling around in a state of restlessness is one of life's greatest luxuries - one not available to creatures that spend all their time pursuing mere survival.
"To be bored is to stop reacting to the external world, and to explore the internal one. It is in these times of reflection that people often discover something new, whether it is an epiphany about a relationship or a new theory about the way the universe works. Granted, many people emerge from boredom feeling that they have accomplished nothing.
"But is accomplishment really the point of life? There is a strong argument that boredom - so often parodied as a glassy-eyed drooling state of nothingness - is an essential human emotion that underlies art, literature, philosophy, science and even love."

FROM THE ARTICLE "THE JOY OF BOREDOM" BY CAROLYN JOHNSON

Photo credits:
1st pic - Nullermanden of Deviantart.com
2nd pic - Christina baby at 3 years