One of the things I heard so many times as a younger man was young people complaining about being bored. "I am bored there is nothing here for young people to do. Later as a teacher, it was a constant complaint of so many young people.
The strange thing is that it seemed the more there was to do the more the complaints rang out, "I am bored." I mention this because I overheard the same war cry from some of the young folk as they got off the school bus yesterday. Seems things seldom change.
Remembering back to my own youth I have to say that I cannot ever remember being bored. There seemed so much to do in those days. Some of the things I am about to list will sound like double dutch to many but these were the things that kept boredom away and gave us hours of fun. Peever and paldy beds. All you needed to play those was a piece of chalk to draw the game out on the road and an empty boot polish tin full of dirt to act as the peever. Hide and seek and kick the can, a lamppost and an empty bean tin. Chicky-melly all that was needed was a length of a thread a drawing pin and a button. Of course, there was knock door run and hedge-hopping. Sitting on an old bit of wood balanced on a roller skate and a good pair of shoes to act as brakes as we hurtled down the hill.
Who was bored? Not a person I can remember.
I have always seen boredom as a bit of a sin if I am really honest. Having said that I have attended some talks and lectures that would easily send you to sleep.
I remember taking my best friend to visit a Buddhist monastery. We arrived in time for the daily led meditation. Not far into this, I heard my friend begin to snore. I nudged him and told him he was sending the monk to sleep.
British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham wasn't a great admirer of the music of his fellow Briton, composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. During the rehearsal of a Williams symphony, Beecham seemed to be doing little more than listlessly beating time. In fact, he was still beating time after the orchestra had stopped. "Why aren't you playing?" Beecham mildly asked the first violinist. "It's finished, Sir Thomas," came the reply. Beecham looked down at his score. "So it is!"
Director Billy Wilder was asked how he liked a new film. "To give you an idea," he said, "the film started at eight o'clock. I looked at my watch at midnight--and it was only 8:15."
Drama critic Clive Barnes's one-word review of a play in London called "the Cupboard": "Bare."
This, of course, is not the boredom that comes from doing nothing and it might be classed as slightly different.
I found some interesting facts from surveys done on the topic of boredom.
The percentage in a 1985 survey who said that, aside from earning a living, the reason they work is to keep from getting bored: 54.
The percentage in a 1989 survey who said they are sometimes or often bored at work: 41.
The percentage in a 1990 survey who said they are generally bored by what goes on in Westminster 48.
The percentagePercentage in a 1991 survey of 5th-year and 6th-year pupils who said they are tired or bored at school: 70.
The percentage in a 1991 survey of teenagers who said they drink alcohol because they are bored: 25.
It would be interesting to see what the present day percentages might be for the same questions but I could not find them. I am sure they would be much higher in almost every case.
Boredom is not an inflicted thing it is is in fact the exact opposite it come from not taking the time to discover something new to challenge the brain cells. Remember an hour spent saying one is bored is a precious hour clocked off from the hands of time.
Have a fun filled day my friends. Do not say please, "I am bored."
The strange thing is that it seemed the more there was to do the more the complaints rang out, "I am bored." I mention this because I overheard the same war cry from some of the young folk as they got off the school bus yesterday. Seems things seldom change.
Remembering back to my own youth I have to say that I cannot ever remember being bored. There seemed so much to do in those days. Some of the things I am about to list will sound like double dutch to many but these were the things that kept boredom away and gave us hours of fun. Peever and paldy beds. All you needed to play those was a piece of chalk to draw the game out on the road and an empty boot polish tin full of dirt to act as the peever. Hide and seek and kick the can, a lamppost and an empty bean tin. Chicky-melly all that was needed was a length of a thread a drawing pin and a button. Of course, there was knock door run and hedge-hopping. Sitting on an old bit of wood balanced on a roller skate and a good pair of shoes to act as brakes as we hurtled down the hill.
Who was bored? Not a person I can remember.
I have always seen boredom as a bit of a sin if I am really honest. Having said that I have attended some talks and lectures that would easily send you to sleep.
I remember taking my best friend to visit a Buddhist monastery. We arrived in time for the daily led meditation. Not far into this, I heard my friend begin to snore. I nudged him and told him he was sending the monk to sleep.
British conductor Sir Thomas Beecham wasn't a great admirer of the music of his fellow Briton, composer Ralph Vaughan Williams. During the rehearsal of a Williams symphony, Beecham seemed to be doing little more than listlessly beating time. In fact, he was still beating time after the orchestra had stopped. "Why aren't you playing?" Beecham mildly asked the first violinist. "It's finished, Sir Thomas," came the reply. Beecham looked down at his score. "So it is!"
Director Billy Wilder was asked how he liked a new film. "To give you an idea," he said, "the film started at eight o'clock. I looked at my watch at midnight--and it was only 8:15."
Drama critic Clive Barnes's one-word review of a play in London called "the Cupboard": "Bare."
This, of course, is not the boredom that comes from doing nothing and it might be classed as slightly different.
I found some interesting facts from surveys done on the topic of boredom.
The percentage in a 1985 survey who said that, aside from earning a living, the reason they work is to keep from getting bored: 54.
The percentage in a 1989 survey who said they are sometimes or often bored at work: 41.
The percentage in a 1990 survey who said they are generally bored by what goes on in Westminster 48.
The percentagePercentage in a 1991 survey of 5th-year and 6th-year pupils who said they are tired or bored at school: 70.
The percentage in a 1991 survey of teenagers who said they drink alcohol because they are bored: 25.
It would be interesting to see what the present day percentages might be for the same questions but I could not find them. I am sure they would be much higher in almost every case.
Boredom is not an inflicted thing it is is in fact the exact opposite it come from not taking the time to discover something new to challenge the brain cells. Remember an hour spent saying one is bored is a precious hour clocked off from the hands of time.
Have a fun filled day my friends. Do not say please, "I am bored."
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