Bored? Good!
C.E. Grundler
If you’re a writer, that is. Or an artist, or an inventor, or just about any other creative sort. Because a bored mind is a restless one, and restless minds are the breeding ground for inspiration. Bored minds wander into new and unexplored places. Imaginations thrive within bored minds. Boredom is the not-so-wicked step-mother of invention. And this is why I worry where our world is headed these days.
Think about it. In generations past, school was a breeding ground for boredom. I recall years of daydreaming, staring out the window listlessly, only barely tuned into the day’s lessons while my mind was miles away… often far out to sea on a small boat. My parents can confirm this. They endured years of notes I reluctantly ferried home, explaining how their child refused to pay attention and participate with the rest of the class. This was in the days before wired classrooms and a laptop on every desk. School was boring. Painfully boring, and so I escaped in my own personal way. I drew boats in my notebooks and filled pages with imaginary adventures far more interesting than anything on the chalk board. And I remember family road trips to all ends of the country – days of driving and endless boredom as the miles rolled past. Yeah, my parents would toss us a few comic books, and it wasn’t long before my brother and I had read them all cover to cover – several times over. And then I was back into the realm of my imagination, building further on my imaginary world and adventures.
But these days kids aren’t bored in the backs of cars. No. Little color screens provide them with movies and video games to pass the miles contently, never to whine, “Are we there yet?” Classrooms bristle with the latest technology, guaranteed to make every lesson a lesson in stimulation, guaranteed to keep little minds brimming with enrichment. And it’s not that I’m knocking modern education. I’m simply saying there might be a downside. Even toddlers and infants aren’t safe. I regularly see parents placing junior into the shopping cart or stroller, then immediately firing up the electronic entertainment to keep them occupied through whatever shopping ordeals lie ahead. And it’s not just children. Anywhere you find people waiting – the bus terminal, a doctor’s office, the movie theater – the majority of the eyes are focused on the colorful glow of smart phones in hand. They’re surfing, playing games, updating their status. But they aren’t bored. That’s the wonder of our modern world. And that’s what worries me.
If people have forgotten how to be bored, are their creative skills, the ability to simply daydream, to imagine eroding as well?
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