Boredom, Good or Not?

By: Ryan Joshi

Have you ever experienced boredom? Boredom happens when you have
almost nothing to do that interests the mind – no instruments, no toys, no utensils,
no food to cook, no iPad or laptop, no gadgets or electronics whatsoever! When
your parents were your age they looked out the window, and probably brushed
their cat’s or dog’s hair, and they experienced a ton of boredom, but they found
activities to fill in the free time. And I think boredom is good for you. I look at
boredom as an opportunity to try something new!

There are many people who become bored for some reason or another. There
are few people, though, who have an innate desire to fix the fact that they are
bored. Many famous inventors have created useful tools out of need or while they
were bored. Take Thomas Edison or Benjamin Franklin, they both had some “free
time” on their hands and innate curiosity, so they kept on experimenting until they
got what they wanted, electricity, and the light bulb. Those are also two of the most
important things we use today.

When we are bored we tend to find something to do. It could be anything. In

the simplest form, we can draw, run, play, and focus on what is going on around
us. Or we could create a meaningful experience – one that propels us to develop
complex ideas that could lead to inventions. When you are bored, do you try to
find something to do, or do you just sit there and complain that you are bored?
Most likely, you will find a pencil and draw, or you might look out the window
and enjoy the scenery. You might invent a game to play or learn an activity that
has been hard in the past, like - to skateboard. You don’t know until you try it.
During the winter break last year, my sister and I used our imagination to create a
Pictionary based on similes, hyperboles, idioms and metaphors. It was a lot of fun
and a memorable experience.

Sometimes boredom allows you to think freely and invest time in activities
that peak your curiosity. Take drawing for example, a beautiful landscape might
inspire you to express the beauty in the form of a drawing. The piece might not be
perfect the first time. But the more time you invest in the painting, the better the
outcome. Our mind gravitates towards the activity if the product is exceptionally
good or the skills required for performing it came naturally, and without a lot of
effort. If your mind was at peace or your curiosity was peaked after performing the
activity, the more you will have the desire to invest time into pursuing the activity.
It might feel like a stretch, but I feel most humans identified their profession of
choice due to boredom. They mastered the art of the profession by devoting time to
it and nourishing it with love and curiosity.

Some folks might argue that boredom is a bad thing. They tend to fill their
day and time with activities that keep them overly occupied. They consume
products and services to run their daily lives. If you never give yourself the
opportunity to have downtime, how will you find the true joy in activities that
excite you? A proven study shows that some people get extremely mad and/or eat
when they are bored. I believe there is something to learn from those feelings as
well - one should not engage in activities that lead to bad consequences.

I think boredom is good for you. Boredom creates artists, engineers,

scientists, doctors, carpenters, etc. who are truly passionate in their fields. These
professionals have mastered their art by repeating and perfecting the science. I
think everyone deserves down time for free thinking which could either lead to
boredom or the discovery of their personal interests.