It is our own fault if we ever know what ennui is. – Thomas Jefferson
The sole cause of man’s unhappiness is that he does not know how to stay quietly in his room. – Blaise Pascal
I love that word ennui. I’m glad I don’t suffer from it. This LA Times article, Boredom is back; get used to it is a good read.
Expectations of snap, crackle and pop are also poisoning perceptions of marriage, church, work and school, experts warn. Although therapists typically blame adultery and divorce on communication breakdowns or other issues, Beaber sees a more mundane threat: “Pure, simple boredom. No ongoing marriage can ever compete with the arousal level, uncertainty and novelty of a new relationship.”
Probably true. But that all the more reason to figure out how to insert elements of novelty and uncertainty in a long-term marriage. Hmm, homework note to myself.
Some of this ties into a book I’m reading, What Happy People Know: How the New Science of Happiness Can Change Your Life for the Better by Dan Baker. (I know, I know, that’s a new agey title worthy of the Affirmation Bullshit Generator but I’m reading it so you don’t have to.) One of the five happiness traps he describes is trying to find happiness through pleasure. A corollary could be trying to relieve boredom through distraction and stimulation. Lately, I’ve been turning off the radio and CD/tape player in my car and just concentrating on noticing stuff going by that I’ve never seen before. It’s mainly a 555 meditation/mental toughness exercise, but it’s also just practicing staying quietly “in my room.”