In Opposition of Boredom

My "order number" was a MLP Doll
This was at The Yeti

I'm going to complete a 4-week pattern of saying one thing, then immediately contradicting it the following week. I was listening to an audiobook^ where it described an orator giving a rousing speech on the merits of "Justice" as the highest virtue. He argued his case expertly, apparently arousing strong emotions from the audience in favour of his stance. The next day, he returned to argue that Justice should not be regarded at all - also with equally convincing arguments and skill as the first. If I recall correctly, he was banned from the city, possibly because he was rather dangerous and could "corrupt the citizens". If anyone knows the exact story, I'd love to know who this character was and where I could find his speeches. I don't claim to be anywhere near this skill, but why not try arguing both sides of an idea?

An Amazing Treehouse I drove by

Boredom is Bullshit

Why on earth would you ever, ever be bored in today's world? Cell phones, video games, movies, youtube, spotify, kijiji, malls, escape rooms, hipster cafes, books, sports, and the 24h news cycle. I'm not saying you should even be in favour of any of these things, but that's just the easier, entertaining things I could come up with. Stave away the boredom at the touch of a button. Even if you have literally nothing, you can entertain yourself by doing memory tricks, drawing, making up a simple code to encrypt messages to your friends, seeing how long you can hold your breath, or even simply meditating. There are limitless possibilities for being entertained and staving off boredom, why the hell would you ever be bored?

Let's look at this quote from the movie Waking Life*:

Man on the Train: You a dreamer?
Wiley: Yeah.
Man on the Train: Haven't seen too many around lately. Things have been tough lately for dreamers. They say dreaming's dead, that no one does it anymore. It's not dead, it's just been forgotten. Removed from our language. No one teaches it so no one knows it exists. The dreamer is banished to obscurity. Well I'm trying to change all that, and I hope you are too. By dreaming every day. Dreaming with our hands and dreaming with our minds. Our planet is facing the greatest problems it's ever faced. Ever. So whatever you do, don't be bored. This is absolutely the most exciting time we could have possibly hoped to be alive. And things are just starting.**

If you disagree that now, of all points in history, is a great time to be alive, you need to take stock and reconsider. Despite what the news seems to indicate, it's one of the most prosperous, most peaceful, least disease ridden, and most ever.*** That's not even mentioning the fact that Web 2.0 has given us all the greatest chance to get ahead than any other point in history. In the past, if you wanted an idea or product out there, you had to go through conventional means, or be physically present. Not anymore.
plentiful time we've ever had -

Boredom is Wasteful

It's been said a million times before, but I'll throw in a terse reminder: You're going to die and there's only an extremely limited amount of time we have to hang around on this rock.

My sister's new kitten, Mozart

Why am I saying this? Boredom, almost by definition, is taking that time and throwing it in the face of eternity. It's like you were gifted a certain amount of money at birth and have no real way to make more, yet you're deciding to set some of it on fire from time to time.

The way I try to view it, this is all just one big run through this game/challenge/adventure in which we have the opportunity to see how high we can reach. Will we be godlike? Will we die with penniless integrity? Will we compromise ourselves to a point beyond recognition? Will we sell out our friends to save our own skin, only to die immediately afterward? Any of these outcomes are possible, particularly if you wasted your time, only to be thrown into extreme circumstances.

When was the last time you picked up your hobby? When was the last time you took that step toward your dream goal, however small the step and however far the goal? Progress is the only thing that matters. So long as you keep trying and you keep using your time effectively, you can destroy that boredom and eventually reach that dream.

To be clear, I'm not necessarily talking about excelling in your career or making bank. I'm just saying you can try to be closer to whatever you want. As one of my favourite quotes says:

This quote by Karen Lamb has been the cover photo on my facebook page for several years now, partially as a reminder for myself, and partially in hopes that it may inspire someone else to move forward with their dreams. What a cheesy sentiment, but I really do hope that's the outcome.

Where was I? Oh, right - Boredom. At this point, it seems like boredom is almost an impossibility unless I allow it to edge its way in. Even when locked in a classroom, I found ways to work on my skills and develop myself in such a way that I don't feel like it was a waste of time.

Boredom is the demon that steals a little bit of your soul each time you choose to invite it in. Yes, invite. Like most mental states, we have to give ourselves permission to reach and sustain it.

My Parent's Weird Cat.
Note the heart on her butt.

I don't believe anyone is boring, at least not if they put effort toward something they care about. I suppose caring about something - anything - is a requirement. Despite that, I'm going to close with this abrupt, blunt quote my dad used to tell me whenever I would complain about being bored as a kid:

If you're bored, then you are boring.

Now pick up that hobby you always wished you were better at, and keep picking it up until you start to fill your dream shoes.

^I think it was Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Taleb
*Fantastic movie that you won't be able to sit through in one sitting. Probably.
**All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible. -Lawrence of Arabia
***Keep two things in mind when watching the news: 1) Availability Heuristic, and 2) If it's on the news, then it's likely not a common event. If it was commonplace, by definition it wouldn't be news. (Breaking News: Baby learns to walk!)