Philosophy of Everything

Boredom

Boring. A word which has come to mean, in our day, the utmost limit of any conceivable degree of tediousness or sameness; a state so complete that it is not only unendurable but impossible to think about for more than a few moments without becoming nauseated. It may be applied either to persons or events—to persons because they are usually dull and uninteresting, and to events because they are generally boring repetitions of earlier things, and have no new features to excite interest. This definition will suffice for the most part, though there are some who would also include such terms as "uninspired," "stale," and "flat."In considering this matter I must begin by admitting that I am myself sometimes bored, especially when alone. This is perhaps not strange, since my life is largely spent in contemplation, and the mind loves novelty above all else. But even at those times when I do not feel bored, I often wish that I did; for then I could turn to something more interesting and forget my own tedium. The thought occurs to me that perhaps other people are not bored at all, or only in certain circumstances; and if this be true, I wonder why we persist in describing everything around us as "boring" when it is precisely because of its boredom that we find it so irksome.Now, if what I say here is correct, then we should probably cease to speak of anything as "boring," since all things are equally interesting. And if this be true, then the tedium of boredom itself becomes an odd thing to contemplate, since one might just as well become fascinated with the concept of fascination. And yet I believe that I can point to a few specific things which are boring, and which are therefore worthy of being called "boring"; while others are fascinating, and thereby deserve to be called "fascinating." Thus, the former are boring because they are repetitious, whereas the latter are fascinating because they are novel. If this be so, then I can say that a repetition is boring because it is unoriginal, while a novelty is interesting because it is original. And thus I shall go on to describe certain events and persons as "boring" or "fascinating" in accordance with these definitions.The first person whom I shall consider is myself. My life consists largely of reading books, of thinking, and of sleeping. This is not very exciting, and yet it is hardly boring. Why, then, do I call it boring? Because it is unoriginal. Every day is much like every other day, and I am always doing the same things in the same order. And if I am not bored, why should anyone else be? In fact, if this is true, then boredom must be the commonest of emotions, for almost everyone must be bored at least once during his lifetime.But now let us consider another person, whose name is Boredom. She is a tall woman with a pale face and dark eyes, and she is seldom seen except by those who have a special affinity for her. Her favorite activity is to sit quietly in the corner of a room, looking out at the world through the eyes of a child. When asked why she does this, she replies: "I wish to observe the world from a child's viewpoint, so that I may better understand its ways. For children see the world in terms of play, and thus their view is far more interesting than ours."At this point, however, I cannot help but ask how she can know whether or not her observations are interesting. After all, it is possible that the viewpoints of a grown man and a child are completely different, and that the adult would consider the child's vision quite dull. Yet Boredom seems to think otherwise, and I suppose that this is the best judgment we can expect from her.Another thing which makes her fascinating is the fact that she changes constantly. Her appearance varies from hour to hour, and even from minute to minute. Sometimes she is young, sometimes old, and sometimes both at the same time. Sometimes she wears a dress, sometimes a skirt, and sometimes nothing at all. Once, I recall, she was a cat, and another time she appeared as a mouse. At one time she wore a crown, and at another a tiara. I remember, too, that once she appeared as a beautiful woman, and once as a hideous hag. She is never exactly the same, and yet she remains always the same.This is why she is fascinating, for she is unlike anything else. There are many who claim to be fascinating, but they are merely interesting, since each is the same as the last. They change, but Boredom changes constantly. This is the secret of her fascination.It is said that she comes from another world, where everything is strange and wonderful. I have not visited this world myself, but I am told that it is a place of great beauty and splendor, full of fantastic beasts and wondrous sights. Indeed, it is said that this is the reason why she appears to us as she does. I do not doubt that it is true, and yet I cannot help wondering what her real form looks like. Is it really as she says, or is it something quite different? Perhaps it is not even a woman, but a dragon or a lion or a giant. I do not know, and I do not care. All I know is that she is fascinating, and that I would give anything to meet her again.