Friday, June 08, 2007

Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?

MW was writing extremely eloquently on her own blog last night about birthdays, childcare and other related issues as she always does, but it got me thinking about on small strand of what she was spinning out.

Where has boredom gone?

She rightly points out that, in our day (I love that phrase!), we were bored all the time. Bored on long car journeys, bored at home all weekend, bored in school, bored in mass, bored, bored, bored! But where has it gone? These days amusement for everyone at all times and in all places is the name of the game. Ipods for the bus, PSPs for the train journey, DVD players for the back of the people carrier, no-one goes to mass anymore, so how do you learn how to deal with boredom?

I'm not being a cranky old fecker here but surely what's being lost if all you have is constant entertainment in these situations is the possibility of creativity?

I spy, drawing, writing, making and just good old fashioned human interaction. Even as adults we have it 24/7. When was the last time you were bored at home? Telly, radio, consoles, the internet(!) all don't allow us the briefest moment to, as one of the jews in the Warsaw Ghetto in Schindler's List put it, "formulate a thought..."

Boredom leads to all sorts of interesting things. What happens when there's a huge swathe of the modern world that doesn't know what it feels like? Don't like ranting. Particularly when it means I rant on the side of boredom, but there you have it.

2 comments:

  1. Ah SL, I love boredom-the basis of many a god relationship i believe!

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  2. Ah, abso-fucking-lutely. When we got our people carrier, I was asked if we were putting in the DVD thingy. HELL NO. We talk in the car. Sing loudly and off-key. Play bingo. And most of the time, when LittleBoy says "I'm bored", we tell him to find something to do if he is, and we let him make his own fun. Which is where the brilliant imaginations come in.

    Personally, I have the best thoughts on the Dart (esp the part between Dun Laoghaire and Sydney Parade, as it's my favorite part!), with no iPod, no video games, no mobile going at the time. It's my serene time (which, if you know me, is hilarious, as I am normally far from serene!)

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