We ask of life to run smoothly, that things be easy, but when it's easy we become bored. To escape boredom we fall into addictions or we create troubles or problems for ourselves so as to compensate for or rather to eradicate the boredom. Then we complain about our addictions, troubles and problems.
When life is no longer easy, we are no longer bored; but nor is it easy to say we are happy.
Peace of mind: why are you so difficult to achieve?
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What if we just learned to make peace with our boredom?
ReplyDeleteI'm trying. I'm trying!
ReplyDeleteBelieve me, I know it isn't easy. The panicked response to boredom has gotten me into most of my worse decisions in life. I've now adapted the fireman's rule to being on fire to that anxious feeling I get when I'm bored: "Stop, drop and roll...over." In other words, let the boredom be and let it pass. Easier said than done, but it's saved me from major life blunders time and again. Which in turn, gives me that ever elusive peace of mind you speak of.
ReplyDeleteI think the boredom is the result of have too much of something in abundance. Time, money, food. The list goes on, but if there's too much of it, things aren't interesting. It's like playing a game of poker for fun: nothing's at stake. Once something is on the table for us to lose, we're interested again. If it helps to make things a little more interesting, I have a koan for you to contemplate:
ReplyDelete"If you have ice cream I will give you some. If you have no ice cream I will take it away from you."
-Jack Kerouac
Hmmm... definite food for thought. And totally agree about the abundance issue. At the risk of taking it to its ultimate end, this is the whole Buddhist idea of why life is suffering, because we die and death is the only way in which to make life precious.
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