Boredom

We hear talk of privilege. But one aspect of privilege that is not so much discussed is the privilege to be bored. All across the world people are digging in trash dumps to survive, living in refugee camps, walking hours just to get a day’s water, cultivating farms with primitive tools, hiding from terrorist groups, dodging weapons of war, working very long hours, crawling out from under the ravages of natural disasters, searching for food and medicine, caring for very sick children and walking hundreds of miles to find a safe place to live.

We have the leisure to shop, to patronize all kinds of entertainment venues, to blitz watch TV, to hang out, to play video games and to do social media. We also have the time to be bored, as we hear from so many young people.

The world is a complex and beautiful place with all kinds of information to be had, problems to be solved, things to be studied, aspects to be admired and stuff just to be thought deeply about.

I don’t get boredom. Do you?