on boredom

the idea of being bored has become so uncomfortable. every moment of silence has to be filled, every dull moment we reach for our phones. little kids are given ipads because they're not allowed to be bored anymore. when was the last time you had 30 minutes and just sat there? being bored? in the car, when cooking, going on a walk. i say this because i'm so so guilty of it myself. my first instinct when i'm bored is to find something to amuse myself, to fill that dopamine void i guess. i don't know. even on a short 15 minute walk i'll listen to music. i've even started listening videos when i'm in the shower. that's absolutely ridiculous!!! i don't need it. i can sit with my thoughts!! why have i let myself be handicapped like this? and like i mentioned earlier, kids not even a year old have a moment of boredom and parents just hand them a screen. that's a whole separate issue because i don't think kids aren't allowed to be kids anymore. BUT STILL!! little children do not need to be entertained every second of their lives! WE do not need to be entertained every second of our lives! how are we going to think creatively if we don't even make time to think!! everything has become easy now, literally handed to us with no thought needed. chatgpt writes our essays, a push of a button can generate us videos or pictures, fast fashion stores and the internet dictate our personal style and wardrobe, tiktok tells us how to act and what we think is funny. we don't have time to THINK FOR OURSELVES ANYMORE!!!! 

i need to get better at being bored. it's something i'm losing touch with and that is NOT okay. i remember as a kid my father would remind me that boredom was a privilege and that so many people don't have the luxury of boredom. i don't know how i let myself forget