Boredom: A Blessing or a Curse?

"It is the unknown that excites the ardor of scholars, who, in the known alone, would shrivel up from boredom."
--Wallace Stevens

Eleven years ago this weekend I wrote about John Updike's four life forces: love, habit, time and boredom. When I first heard this notion I found the last most surprising, but having periodically contemplated these things over the years I've concluded that he was onto something.

Here are a few thoughtful or thought-provoking observations about boredom worth pondering. 

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"Boredom is the feeling that everything is a waste of time; serenity, that nothing is." 
--Thoma Szasz

"Isn't history ultimately the result of our fear of boredom?"
--Emile Cioran

"I am convinced that boredom is one of the greatest tortures. If I were to imagine Hell, it would be the place where you were continually bored."
--Erich Fromm

"Boredom is therefore a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it."
--Bertrand Russell

"The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom."
– Arthur Schopenhauer

"Boredom is the deadliest poison."
--William F. Buckley, Jr.

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Is boredom a gift or a curse? If it moves us to action, perhaps it can be called a gift. If we suffer from chronic boredom, it may be a clue that something else is wrong with us. Just as pain is an indicator that something is wrong with our physical selves, so it may be that boredom is an indicator that something is amiss with our souls. 

Some people suggest that boredom is a key ingredient in the creative process.

Here's an intriguing quote from Flaubert's Madame Bovary. "But her life was as cold as an attic facing north; and boredom, like a silent spider, was weaving its web in the shadows, in every corner of her heart." 

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I had a friend who used to say, "Sometimes boring is good." He was talking about investments at the time but it can apply to other things as well. We've heard the expression "drama queen" as a reference to people who have exaggerated or overly emotional reactions to events or situations. Much of that drama is self-created through bad choices, risky ventures or simply a need to be the center of attention.

What do you think?