Boredom is the price one pay for not enjoying everything.  Boredom is that awful state of inaction when activity which could solve it, is ignored. Boredom is just the reverse side of fascination: both depends on being outside rather than inside a situation, and one leads to the other. It is a symptom of a conditioned and closed mind. We need to open our minds, break-free from our conditioned routine, and reignite the flames of excitement and discovery.

When we hold back out of laziness, that is when we avoid ourselves from knots of boredom. We find boredom where there is the absence of a good idea, nor initiatives to explore. We learn that he who seeks rest finds boredom; that he who seeks work finds rest. Boredom speaks the language of time, it teaches us the most valuable lesson of our lives, the lesson of our utter insignificance if we don’t do something about it. In order to live free and happily, we must sacrifice boredom and it is not always an easy sacrifice!

I have learned, however, that boredom or discontent is useful to me when I acknowledge it and see clearly my alternatives, that there is something else I would rather be doing. It is this way that boredom could act as an invitation to freedom and happiness by opening us to new options and thoughts.

It is precisely in those moments when we do not know what to do, that boredom could drive us to try a host of possibilities to either get somewhere or not get anywhere. It had been because of boredom that induced me to learn many things beyond my professions, like: making webpages, desktop publishing (newsletters), Photography, Photoshop and many others which have made my life more challenging, stimulating and exciting.

Our age has become so mechanical that this has also affected our daily living and our recreation. We are getting used to sitting down and watching a movie, a ball game, a television set, spending more and more time with computers. It may be good once in a while, but it is certainly not good if we over do them. Our own faculties, our imagination, our memory, the ability to do things with our mind and our hands, they need to be exercised. If we become too passive, we get dissatisfied.

I have also learned that humor can make a serious difference, in the workplace, at home, in all areas of our lives. It is necessary to look for a reason to laugh. A sense of humor helps us to get through the dull times, cope with the difficult times, enjoy the good times and manage the scary times.

By Tim Pedrosa

Tim