Boredom: The Death of a Nation

“ … it is a failure of character to have no inner resources to enjoy the wonders of creation, literature, and people. Such abilities and resources should be cultivated and developed early in life." - John Berryman

Having “no inner resources” translates in my mind as a lack of stimulation, most likely developing in early childhood. I recently had a conversation with a good friend of mine. He said that when he was younger he watched a lot of movies and rarely played outside. I, on the other hand, shared how I was constantly making trips from inside my house to outdoors causing my mother to yell, “Morgan, stay in or out!” I played with dolls in my room then mud puddles in the yard. I learned to entertain myself. I played “house” with the neighborhood kids and was always convinced by my best friend that I had to be the dad because my hair was shortest. We built sandcastles in my sandbox and jumped on the trampoline to Britney Spears first (and best) album, Crazy.

Because my mom is a preschool teacher, I consider myself a lifelong student … literally. When I was younger, my siblings and I interacted with her through educational games and activities. We made sock puppets, carved pumpkins for Halloween, and learned fractions by flipping through flash cards. My mother challenged us to think for ourselves and taught us how to be independent individuals. She entrusted us with pets at an early age, even though their lifespans were rather short. We were in charge of feeding, cleaning cages, walking, scooping you-know-what, and playing with them so they could exercise. How much exercise does a hamster really need anyway? Of course kids will be under stimulated if their parents just let them sit in front of the television set for hours each day, watching numerous repetitive commercials and eating entire cans of Pringles and family-sized bags of Doritos. Stimulation comes with practice. It’s no wonder that American children are always looking to purchase the latest video game. The materialistic things kids want seem to involve limited thought processing for them. For example, who buys books for their children anymore? Interactive learning software? Or musical instruments? Nope. We buy Wiis, PS3s, Rock Band, iPods, and Game Boys. Whatever is the easiest way to entertain ourselves, we do. And if we can pass the time without moving from the same spot, all the better.

The average person suffering from severe boredom overlooks all possibility and remains emotionally and physically stagnant. Desperate Housewives is the best example I can think of when it comes to how popular culture portrays boredom in television. It seems to be an implicit undertone in every series, but the female characters on Desperate Housewives are especially bored with their daily routine that they involve themselves in affairs and gossip. Their wealthy husbands supply habitual shopping trips and manicures and pedicures. They can afford to eat out at restaurants, so they rarely cook in their kitchens full of stainless steel appliances and built-in ice machines. I guarantee you that housewives in poverty-stricken third-world countries do not get bored. They know what hard work is because they do it all day every single day.

The role models young girls compare themselves to in today’s culture distort personal identity. Models. Actresses. Flawless Barbie dolls. And Miss America pageant contestants. Girls want long, straight blond hair and blue eyes, and a handsome, All-Star quarter-back boyfriend. Mass media distorts the life of teenagers on Laguna Beach, The Real World, and even Saved By The Bell and Disney’s Boy Meets World. They provide faulty perceptions of what high school really is like, and young people want the same exciting lives they see portrayed on "reality" and commercial television. American teenagers are bored by the realities they find themselves in. Life is hard and oftentimes uneventful and repetitious, so teenagers wish for what they don’t have and just give-up in the real world around them.

It all seems to boil down to this … if things don’t go our way, we get bored. And as Americans, we want our way. We want nice things, a good job, a happy marriage, excitement, fun, adventure, happiness, and perfection. But nice things don’t come without money. Money is the reason to work. Work takes time away from the spouse and family. Lack of investment in family produces a failing marriage and distant relationships with children which causes unhappiness, boredom, and imperfection. These are the actualities of life. Boredom exists because we refuse to embrace life. Life is not always perfect, and it is not always fair. One must offer his or her very best efforts to those we love ... for their benefit and for the well being of oneself. It is important to remain persistent, dedicated, and focused because boredom is not an excuse for life. It is an inevitable aspect of life that one must be prepared to conquer when it arises.