Young People Ask . . .
Why Is Life So Boring?
“I HATE living this boring life,” said Anne Marie after attempting suicide. She was seven years old.
Perhaps you at times have felt like Anne Marie. What do you feel is a solution? Anne Marie felt that changed circumstances would be the answer. “This ain’t the kind of life I want,” she said. “I want to live out in the country. I hate the city.” You may say: “If only I had an exciting job, a career or plenty of money I would never get bored.”
Are Your Circumstances to Blame?
A young man named George “charged up the corporate ladder” and became the vice-president of a large firm. “It was good for my ego,” he said. “Nice title, better office, but what else did I get? In one sense, I was pleased with myself—but,” he revealed, “bored in another. Once the conquests were over and I proved I could do the work, there was little left.”
Even very rich and famous people—capable of having virtually anything that money can buy—grapple with boredom. After reviewing the outlandish spending of the superrich, Time associate editor Roger Rosenblatt stated: “After the big house and the big garden and the big animals, parties and people, what do most of the world’s big spenders announce? That they are bored. Bored.” So neither fame, money, a prestigious job or ideal living conditions in themselves are capable of banishing boredom permanently. Why? Because boredom is basically an attitude of the mind.
A Matter of Attitude
For instance, you may consider a modern airline pilot’s job to be glamorous and exciting. Yet much of his work is very repetitive and flights on automatic pilot can be boring. However, by constantly thinking of the safety of the many lives entrusted to his care, the pilot can fight any boredom.
So no matter what our age, our job or our status in life, how we view our situation is critical. Being bored is not so much our outside circumstances and interests as it is our inner response to these.
A person who is bored puts his or her mind in a condition similar to a prisoner in solitary confinement. The prisoner is allowed no visitors. There are no windows. He has no newspapers or books, no radio or TV and no conversation. Such a setup can lead not just to boredom but often to complete derangement. What goes wrong? Quite simply, the prisoner lacks stimulus. His senses crave it, but he is unable to satisfy them.
You can put your mind in ‘solitary confinement’ by cutting yourself off from those things around you that can provide stimulation. Therefore you have to take steps to become involved and stimulate your mind. But how can you go about developing such interests that can bring the needed stimulation?
Proper Action Fights Boredom
“They can’t be bothered doing anything. They get home and just switch on the TV and watch that all the time. They don’t have any practical hobbies. No wonder they say they are bored,” said teenager Patrick as he summed up the course of many of his friends. How true! No stimulating action. Result? Boredom. But doing things gets your mind involved.
“If I start to get bored,” explained Gina, “I get some paper and a pencil and draw. I enjoy it so much I don’t want to stop!” Young Phillip says: “I write down the things I intend to do each day—practical things. And I always allow myself time for reading.”
Millions watched the World Cup soccer series, but how many viewers ever enjoyed kicking a ball, even in a friendly game? While millions enjoy listening to recorded music, how much more pleasure comes from playing a musical instrument! Says Lucinda: “I go and play tennis when I find time is heavy on my hands, and in the evenings I am learning to play my guitar. In fact, a few of us practice together, and this is real fun!”
Now let’s talk about action at your job or school. If you are industrious and become mentally involved with your education or job, you can get real personal satisfaction. You may get recognition too—and you won’t be bored with that! The Bible says, “Have you beheld a man skillful in his work? Before kings is where he will station himself.” (Proverbs 22:29) Therefore, apply yourself during your required school years. Learn the basics of education that can help you become skilled. If you have a job, then cultivate an interest in it. Personal achievement can bring a sense of fulfillment, not boredom. However, as seen from the example of George, mentioned earlier, this is not always the case. Something beyond mere action or achievement is needed to remove “a boring life” permanently.
The Truly Rewarding Way of Life
“Some successful people have discovered that while extrinsic [external] factors like more money, vacations and goods reduce dissatisfaction . . . they don’t increase satisfaction,” states mid-life career counselor Sol Landau who made a study of people “who have realized their dreams.” He concludes: “Only intrinsic [internal] factors that feed the spirit can do that.” Yes, a purposeful life must have a spiritual dimension.
You may have all the gadgets of this modern age and yet boredom may still look you straight in the eye. Jesus Christ said: “Even when a person has an abundance his life does not result from the things he possesses.” (Luke 12:15) You need to feel that your life is accomplishing something worth while.
Jesus invited his followers to get involved in just such an activity. “Come after me,” he said, “and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4:19) Along with him they were to help people by sharing with them the good news about God’s Kingdom. This message had real power to improve the lives of those who accepted it. What an immeasurable joy was theirs to see the effect of their message on people who were “skinned and thrown about like sheep without a shepherd”! Just imagine the emotional satisfaction of seeing drunkards, thieves, filthy-mouthed revilers and sexual perverts transform themselves into clean, responsible persons with self-respect.—Matthew 9:36; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
Today the same “fishing” work is being done all over the world by Jehovah’s Witnesses. Among them you will find tens of thousands of young people, many volunteering up to 90 hours each month just to share this powerful message with others. This is both stimulating and worth while.
Some young persons today come to work in one of the many branch establishments of the Watch Tower Society where Bible literature, such as this magazine, is printed. Among those in England is 19-year-old Andrew. He is one of the team of five running the offset press, which is 75 feet (23 m) long, printing hundreds of thousands of copies of Awake! and its companion magazine The Watchtower. How does Andrew view his work, helping to bundle the magazines as they come off the press at a rate of 32,000 an hour?
“The work can be very boring if I allow it to be,” he admits. “But it is an essential job and physically demanding. Most important, it has great purpose, printing magazines to help others to find the way to life. I often think about where the magazines will be going and the good they will do.” Yes, the right attitude regarding the vital lifesaving role of his work keeps it from becoming boring.
Of course, you may not be able to work at the job Andrew enjoys. But Christian activity has many interesting facets. Why not ask Jehovah’s Witnesses about it? You don’t have to be bored with life. Wholesome Christian living and activities will put boredom to flight.
[Picture on page 15]
The right attitude dispels boredom at work