MathJax

Monday, June 3, 2013

Post-boredom society

Seattle is a post-boredom world. 

It's a strange world. This is a greater challenge than TV. This is custom-fit entertainment. This is your personally tailored mix of entertainment, knowledge, news and attention. This is an infinity of distractions to keep you just above the threshold of boredom but far, far below any kind of fulfillment.

I call my smart phone my "portable contentment device." In my adult life, I've never been frustrated while waiting in line or at the airport. I haven't felt genuine boredom in a long time. I also haven't turned a stranger into a friend while waiting in line. I also don't spend nearly as much time as I once did deep in thought (not before I started regularly blogging, anyway). I don't think I'm alone in any of this.

Now, more than ever, it's important to develop hobbies, interests and friends to get satisfaction out of the way you spend your time. Being passive about your life will lead to it being lived for you. Cook a meal. Write. Read a classic. Make a video. Reflect. Take a time-out from your silicon brain. Best of all: go camping. Force yourself to get bored, and see what happens.


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