Bore, Boring, Boredom

boredom ~(n) ~ to be tired with dullness, repetition or tediousness

"(Boredom) is both a serious problem and a quite recent one.  Ancient Greek had no word for boredom.  The word did not have its current meaning in English until the last few centuries.  We look at the ancient world, and they had no television, no internet, no movies... and we think how boring it must have been.  But the ancients were not bored.  We are the ones who get bored because our capacity to focus our attention, to delight our minds in sustained thought, has been weakened by our dependence on external stimuli." ~ John Ortberg from The Me I Want To Be.

I must admit that people I know who never say they are bored are those who can entertain themselves, even if sometimes that means simply sitting quietly and observing nature from their front porch.

When we were on our road trip to Bend and beyond, I wrote that one of my very best times was sitting on the front porch of a cabin without internet, mobile phone service, television, radio or any other distraction from the immediate world around me.  I was simply absorbed and fascinated by the silence and the beauty of the moment.  

My husband and I had both brought tons of reading material with us thinking that away from the busyness and electronics of everyday life, we would have time to slow down and just read.  I think I read one magazine in two weeks.  Our trip became about our immediate surroundings which we absorbed with our very beings ~ out of which flowed the writings I penned in my blog.

I agree with John's quote.  I believe that to keep my mind fresh and alive, I need to engage it and not just be a passive receptor.  I think that's why the arts and artistic expression are so important.  It's so important to unplug from our plugged-in world and let our minds roam free.