"Life, friends, is boring."
~John Berryman, Dream Song 14
On reading this poem for a second time, images of boredom and what we associate it with appeared to me, as if projected on a mental screen. Sherlock Holmes, from the new BBC series, languishes on a sofa, repeatedly declaring he is bored while shooting a smiley face into the wall of his flat; Prince Leonce, from Büchner's play Leonce und Lena stretches out on a bench, declaring that everything humans do is out of boredom; and of course, students in a lecture lean on their hands and stare into space as their eyes glaze over. Life may be boring, but boredom, friends, is interesting.
Boredom is a fascinating emotion as it seems to be almost completely internally generated. It is possible to be bored by something, but even that seems to stem from lack of your own engagement. In contrast to other emotions such as anger or joy, boredom is signified by a near complete lack of response, of a shutting down of mental faculties. In Domasio's "Joy, Sorrow, and the Feeling Brain" it is posited that emotions and feelings grew out of a need to communicate socially, to convey information to others. What, then, is the purpose of an emotion or emotional state of immobility and disinterest? Erich Fromm, in The Sane Society, notes that "Man is the only animal capable of being bored." Are we so attuned to activity that its lack results in withdrawal symptoms? Or is it a sign that we are becoming--or have we become-- detached from a world that has ceased to amuse us? Existentialists might say that boredom is merely a little glimpse into the nothing that our life really is, that we fill it with action and noise to avoid the abyss, trying to find an answer.
Boredom is also a great motivator in that it is the most pressing phobia of the world of entertainment. The greatest condemnation a work, whether print or film, can receive, is the stamp of "boring." Audience boredom, or the fear of it, is what arguably drives writers, editors, producers, networks, and publishers to constantly search for the new and different, or even just the old in a new sparkly package. How many times have vampires, or cowboys, fantasy worlds gone in and out of vogue over the years, changing and developing each time. Could we actually credit boredom with the progress of human society? Staving of ennui with the printing press, moon landing, and one thousand other events? Are we that afraid of stagnation?
My own answer to that is no, except for one thing: perhaps boredom could lead to curiosity. The idle mind wanders to may strange and interesting places, and once it catches on something, the real fun, so to speak, begins! Making new worlds and new ideas starts with two little words, and can go anywhere from there. Take some time this weekend and ask yourself "What if?" Take a ball of thread or a handful of white pebbles with you though, it's a wide world out there, and you'll never know where you'll end up. Or not, because sometimes getting lost is half the fun!
Boredom is also a great motivator in that it is the most pressing phobia of the world of entertainment. The greatest condemnation a work, whether print or film, can receive, is the stamp of "boring." Audience boredom, or the fear of it, is what arguably drives writers, editors, producers, networks, and publishers to constantly search for the new and different, or even just the old in a new sparkly package. How many times have vampires, or cowboys, fantasy worlds gone in and out of vogue over the years, changing and developing each time. Could we actually credit boredom with the progress of human society? Staving of ennui with the printing press, moon landing, and one thousand other events? Are we that afraid of stagnation?
My own answer to that is no, except for one thing: perhaps boredom could lead to curiosity. The idle mind wanders to may strange and interesting places, and once it catches on something, the real fun, so to speak, begins! Making new worlds and new ideas starts with two little words, and can go anywhere from there. Take some time this weekend and ask yourself "What if?" Take a ball of thread or a handful of white pebbles with you though, it's a wide world out there, and you'll never know where you'll end up. Or not, because sometimes getting lost is half the fun!
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