Last December, I took the train back home to Munich – a seven-hour journey that I spent, for the most part, staring out the window, doing absolutely nothing. No movie, no book, no music - nothing.
The habit traces back to my childhood, where my mother often stressed the value of boredom. To implement the practice in our lives, she discouraged my siblings and me from using our devices during the first hour of each road trip. At first, purposefully doing ‘nothing’ felt like a chore: tedious, mundane, and far too quiet. But as time went by, it became tolerable, then comfortable, and finally, even enjoyable.
Alright
However, not everyone enjoys, or even understands ‘purposeful’ boredom. For instance, during my train journey in December, I was almost an hour into doing nothing, when the girl sitting next to me asked if I was alright. I still think about the encounter to this day. Why was my doing nothing an indication of me not being alright? Perhaps my resting face looked distinctly sad, or angry. Or maybe, my generation has become so used to constant stimulation, that stillness feels almost unsettling to witness.
Just last week, my brother and I took the subway together. Since we were both feeling somewhat sleep-deprived and irritable that day, we spent a few minutes searching for an empty train car, and settled into a familiar, comfortable silence. Alas, our stillness was disrupted after just one or two stops, when a young woman sat down across from us and started scrolling through TikTok - at full volume.
Fingertips
It seems, our shifting attitude has all but normalised social media (over)use. Whenever I’m out in public, I witness at least a handful of people glued to their phone. With an endless stream of digital entertainment at our fingertips, it seems we’ve effectively cured boredom, or at least buried it.
However, studies have proven that boredom is more than a tedious emotion, and can actually stimulate critical reflection, and boost creativity. I myself come up with my best column ideas when I’m ‘bored’, or rather, choosing not to engage with external stimuli. So, I wonder, what insights, ideas, or moments of clarity are we missing out on when we reach for the next distraction? Maybe boredom isn’t a problem to fix, but a space to explore.
Robin van Wasen, student at UCM