How often have I wished for the attic of my boredom when the complications of life made me lose the very germ of all freedom!
—The Poetics of Space, Gaston Bachelard
I've been thinking a lot about boredom and how we don't have to do it anymore. From a single device that fits in my pocket I can manifest music or a story, lovingly recounted; read thousands of books; scope trends or talk to people I already know. I never have to be alone again—or reach earnestly outside myself, seeking stimulation or solace.
More and more lately, I miss the grasping boredom of childhood that made time stretch and forced games out of dirt. So my latest project has been cultivating boredom, forcing myself to switch off and let my gaze wander.
I'm loath to report any benefits of this, because I think we're all a little too focused on silver bullets for productivity. I don't want everything in my life to amount to a better way to work. But I think it's given me a better way to be. To be continued.
Photo Credit: april-mo Flickr via Compfight cc
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What is "Inklust"? Boy am I glad you asked. Here's the manifesto: part I and part II.
2 comments:
This resonates with me. After 32 + years in the agency business, I sold the company and plunged into a completely different life on my family farm. I continue to struggle with giving myself permission to feel a little bored, yet there's always a list of stuff to do. Learning to relax and just "be" isn't easy when you've spent your whole life trying to make payroll. Old habits die hard, I suppose. but I keep trying. :)
I completely identify with this. It's a challenge I renew every year ... but I love that you have a whole farm to yourself now! I know that it's a new variation on "one problem after another," but I think there's something about being among other living things, and using them directly to sustain ourselves, that is a lot healthier for us than the constant detached pressure of a city and its abstract conflicts. Good luck.
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