Dare to do more: how hard it is to just get bored

The philosopher Søren Kierkegaard once wrote that boredom is “the root of all evil” He was referring to the creation story, according to which mankind arose out of the boredom of the gods

And since then, from Kierkegaard's point of view, things have only gone downhill To this day, boredom does not have a particularly good reputation

Like an anachronism, it doesn't really seem to fit our time, in which the maxim "higher, faster, further" is omnipresent For many, doing nothing is apparently only allowed in a specially advertised sabbatical, which of course also has to be filled with meaningful things

Yoga retreat in Bali, actionism, writing a book - you can't take time off, to really do nothing? Surely there is time for dozing in a hammock under the Bali sun, but is that boredom? At least not if you follow the dictionary definition There it says that boredom is an “unpleasant, annoying feeling of not being fulfilled, of monotony, of dullness, which arises from a lack of variety, stimulation, entertainment, of interesting, attractive occupation

” People are missing something when he is bored It is difficult for him not to get any new input, because the brain is set to constant stimuli

Also because today it is so conditioned to consume, to create and then to show it all on social media Of course there are exceptions and even the worst workaholic can manage one holiday a year

But leisure time is often well planned It's not for nothing that the term "leisure stress" exists, a sad paradox

Therefore, many people now have to book expensive digital detox courses and consciously evade digital media in order to find peace at all Boredom is associated with laziness and stagnation

In turn, this is often equated with regression in the modern meritocracy Especially at the turn of the year, people like to take stock, post achieved goals and the big, exciting projects for the new year

More room for nothing While looking back and self-reflection make sense and annual goals and resolutions can be motivating, the question remains: Can't it just be boringly continued as before? Does everyone have to have big plans and make life changes? Where is the room for doing nothing? Do nothing, plan nothing In a world where it's often just about the next big project, the exciting journey or the new "level" of development, there seems to be little room for this

You don't just have to want to be bored, you also have to be able to afford it in the truest sense of the word In the struggle for existence, the supposedly sweet idleness becomes unrealistic luxury and the idealization of boredom becomes an elitist idea

But assuming a healthy person in an economically and politically secure living situation, discovering pleasant boredom should be at the top and on the to-do list for this year No #bigproject, no #change

Only then do you feel the pleasant consequences: There is no pressure to succeed, no compulsion to develop or self-optimize You usually make it yourself

Instead, something else takes the place of resolutions and annual goals, namely the status quo Everything can stay the way it is

In view of the inflationary spread of messages about growth and development, this plan seems almost subversive And shows how deeply rooted the bad image of standstill is

But just when we learn to enjoy boredom, it transforms Then boredom becomes idleness

And Søren Kierkegaard would also agree with that, who wrote further: "In itself, idleness is by no means the root of all evil, but on the contrary a downright divine life, as long as one is not bored

At least not if you follow the dictionary definition There it says that boredom is an “unpleasant, annoying feeling of not being fulfilled, of monotony, of dullness, which arises from a lack of variety, stimulation, entertainment, of interesting, attractive occupation ” People are missing something when he is bored It is difficult for him not to get any new input, because the brain is set to constant stimuli Also because today it is so conditioned to consume, to create and then to show it all on social media Of course there are exceptions and even the worst workaholic can manage one holiday a year But leisure time is often well planned It's not for nothing that the term "leisure stress" exists, a sad paradox Therefore, many people now have to book expensive digital detox courses and consciously evade digital media in order to find peace at all Boredom is associated with laziness and stagnation In turn, this is often equated with regression in the modern meritocracy Especially at the turn of the year, people like to take stock, post achieved goals and the big, exciting projects for the new year More room for nothing While looking back and self-reflection make sense and annual goals and resolutions can be motivating, the question remains: Can't it just be boringly continued as before?