In previous posts we discussed boredom:
- as the state of mind that is the opposite to activity
- how the too-easy remedy is to find distractions such as the internet.
But looking at the second point, I warned that this antidote is not necessarily the right medicine. Apparently Kierkegaard the Danish philosopher said that keeping busy is the impulse to escape the present. By the way, he is the only philosopher I am aware of whose face appears as a decal on the tail of a national airline!
In terms of the senses it is perhaps taste that most closely reflects boredom. When we are bored perhaps the world no longer tastes good. Certainly eating food, particularly more than you need for your body, is something you might do when bored.
But what if boredom is the creative time that you can use to think through postwork issues such as:
- do I want to leave a legacy?
- do I want to make a difference in the world?
Retirement: You won't know what it's like till you get there.