Boredom Is A State Of Mind

Bored, to be weary and impatient because one lacks interest in one`s current activity. As the definition implies, to be bored is to lose interest in what you are doing. As this sense of boredom can only come when one is only doing the same activity for an extended period of time, I agree that teenagers today are too busy to be bored.

I spent the rest of the summer underneath an ocean of melancholy. Taking to sleeping during the long, burning days, I spent my nights in a wallow of self-despair. My father grew worried, and I will be forever thankful of him for offering to drive me places, just to get out of the house. Nevertheless, I lost contact with most of my friends. I stopped attending any social gatherings.

In “Against School”, Gatto told the readers about the boredom in the schools through the teachers because the students were as bored as they, the teacher, were. In school, boredom strikes amongst both teachers and students. Gatto said it best when he stated, “Boredom was everywhere in my world, and if you asked the kids, as often as I did, why they felt so bored, they always gave the same answers: They said the work was stupid, that it made no sense, that they already knew it. They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around. They said teachers didn’t seem to know much about their subjects and clearly weren’t interested in learning more. And the kids were right: their teachers were as every bit of bored as they were.” (Gatto, page 608). Most students do not want to be at school anyways so therefore, boring school work, unprepared teachers, and pure lecture class time would not help the matter. This next quote can still relate to today’s society, “Boredom is the common condition of schoolteacher, and anyone who has spent time in a teachers’ lounge can vouch for the low energy, the whining, the dispirited attitudes, to be found there.” (Gatto, page 608). When the teacher comes unprepared with a mindset of boredom then nothing will ever change. Although a teacher may have a routine for teaching , because they have taught the same material for years, they should never just recite it. The students have not heard this, because it is new information for

John Taylor Gatto wrote about the topic of boredom in his story “Against School.” He was an award-winning educator, so most believed his statements about education to be true because he was such a credible source. Gatto discusses his belief of having children learn more of what they will need to live on their own in the real world. He wants students to take their education with them out into the world instead of learning pointless material in public school that will never be applied to the real world. Gatto references this to boredom and uses it as an example of why some children do not enjoy school. Material that is required to be taught bores students easily, and does not expand their minds to subjects they are interested in. He asks, “Do we really need school? I don’t mean education, just forced schooling: six classes a day, five days a week, nine months a year, for twelve years” (Gatto, page 148-149). Students are trained to become addicts of everyday school and it strips them of responsibility and independence. Eventually, once we can understand the tricks and traps of public schooling, we can avoid them.

Some studies show that people who can't cope with boredom are most likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. In the article, "Is Boredom Really That Bad?", by Kristin Lewis, it states that "It can also be destructive leading to anxiety." This statement proves that boredom can hurt someone mentally and physically. Over all, boredom can be damaging.

Boredom has been proven to improve creativity for a wide variety of things. According to Sandi Mann boredom can improve creativity. She conducted an experiment where she told the eager students to find multiple uses for an object. Half of the

Boredom brings lots of free time, so with that time you can recall happy memories and

I thought i had it all figured out, I thought I had beat the system, I thought I could have it all, maybe when everything was mine I would finally be happy. Everything was going my way, I was the top of my class, captain of the soccer team, had been accepted into all of my top choice schools. I had saved up years of paychecks and had recently bought my dream car, my relationships with my parents was as good as it had ever been, my little brothers and sisters finally seemed to accept me. But one thing consistently eluded me, happiness was still nowhere to be found, and now more than ever the battle with depression seemed to shift from bad to worse. My shadow mission had become my only mission, and the reality of my situation was slowly dragging me deeper and deeper under the waves. And this is where

Wilcock (2006) agures that boredom comes from occupational deprivation or imbalance. It is well know boredom is often experienced by this age group. To overcome this Martin, Sadlo & Strew (2012) suggest people need to be active in their occupations completing them in a mindful way. This resource will provide an opportunity for mindfulness through self exploration into desired occupations and future planning for broadening occupational

For twelve years’ students do the same thing over and over again Monday through Friday for nine months out of the year, which is wake up early to go to school, take five to six classes a day, do homework, and take tests. John Gatto has taught for thirty years in many school some good and some bad, and with so many years of experience he’s learned that boredom is everywhere. Many kids where asked why they felt bored and they all pretty much answered the same way saying that the work was dumb and it made no sense or that they already knew about it. According to Gatto,” They said they wanted to be doing something real, not just sitting around. They said teachers didn’t seem to know much about their subject, and clearly weren’t interested in learning

It was day two on the Appalachian Trail. The rich robust smell of pine permeated the air. The Sparrows caroled, and the soothing warm glow of the sun, warmed my body as the elevation increased. I was completely engulfed in nature. As the trail progressed, a couple friends and I reached the first cairn. We were 500 feet from the summit of Mt. Avery. We soon took our last steps, lowered our bags, and shared smiles. Immediately we were taken hold of by the ear ringing silence. Not a gust of wind, nor a chirp from a bird, it was complete serenity. As we took in the view I realized something that changed me completely. I was

Boredom is good for our lives and we need to embrace it. It's a natural part of life and we shouldn't try to avoid it. It helps strengthen our brain's network system's that allows us to do the things we want. People need to realize that boredom is important and we shouldn't get rid of it. Isaac Newton discovered gravity when he was just sitting under an apple tree, watching apples fall. Great things can come from boredom. Boredom is a very important aspect in

Man, as a creature, is inherently bored. Since the dawn of time, it has been the

The crisis of boredom is a topic explored by Douglas Todd, the religion and ethics writer for the Vancouver Sun, in “Beware the Boredom Boom” he states that chronic boredom is a matter to be concerned about as it raises” “complex questions about the human condition.” He supports this matter by giving examples of published authors and their works about boredom. He points out that despite having many things to fill our time with, we are still looking for more novel things to do to keep our attention. He explains that almost three out of four North Americans say they crave more novelty in their lives and there are sixty nine percent of people that agree with this. He notices that it isn’t just students and seniors

A ways away from a town that I call home, I found a happy place. I often find myself walking through the park by myself. The beautiful trees, the way the yellow and red leaves crumple under my feet every step I take. When the flowers bloom and how it's the most spectacular sight you could ever imagine seeing, all the different colors that appear. When you breathe in and you get this smell of purity, you feel free and alive. Sometimes I like to sit on the old wooden bench where the bench frame is a little rusted, and I get rid of my thoughts and my eyes search the sky. In the winter the icy breeze makes me shiver, and the cold air I take in, is like sitting in front of an air conditioner and breathing in. Some mornings the sun beams across the sky, which is not quite blue yet, but the sun has almost fully risen. When the wind blows, it grazes over the blades of grass. Some days I just stand and take a deep breath in and I can taste the spring. When summer comes around, and the bees are buzzing, and the hot sun beats on the back of my neck, I lay on the soft grass and listen, to the birds chirping a beautiful song, and the kids playing in the park. The sky is the bluest view in sight.