Siegfried Kracauer wrote a terrific short essay entitled, Boredom. In it he writes, “People today who still have time for boredom and yet are not bored are certainly just as boring as those who never get around to being bored.”
If I understand Kracauer's meaning, then I was the least boring person on the face of the planet yesterday. The whole of last week - and I only worked 4 days! - passed by without incident, or much else. It was an exercise in how to look like you're doing something when you have nothing to do.
I know trying to fill time goes against Kracauer's intent, yet I can't imagine my boss would be too thrilled to find me at my desk, sitting idle, reflecting on the emptiness of the hours as they passed by.
So, I found some stuff to do. The sort of unimportant tasks you spend more time procrastinating than it would take to get them done.
Then, when a moment like last week happens, you say to yourself, "might as well." Just the thought of giving an account of these tasks, even the briefest one, causes my eyes to glaze over, so I'll leave what they were to your imagination.
Finally, the week came to a close. I arrived home on Friday around 5pm. Sat on the couch and realized I used my last ounce of energy to get there. I was now paralyzed.
My mind and body felt like an oozy, heavy mass. Quicksand. Neither dynamic or solid, just a glob of life sucking mess!
Boredom spent trying to be busy really sucks the life out of you. It's exhausting. I was more tired from doing nothing than I would have been had I been really busy.
I think what's fascinating about boredom- in the same way you can't help looking when driving by an accident scene - is it's banality. Nothing screams "mundane" like boredom - a scream that emanates from inside your body.
At first you think there isn't anything harmful about being bored. It's not like train surfing or smoking, no doubt two activities taken up to combat boredom.
Yet, believing boredom is harmless is what makes it harmful. So, next time you're bored, reflect on the experience. Believe it or not, you're lucky. Imagine being bored and not knowing it.
