Being Bored Is Good • Hacker News Board

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#31

Post by criddell » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:03 PM UTC

leadingthenet wrote: post #19

visarga wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I had to sit for 3 days watching the mountains and the occasional sheep passing by, I would probably turn to meditation or continue planning my project in my mind.

Which is precisely why boredom is important. It can lead to some truly creative thoughts.

But if you are meditating or thinking about work, are you bored?

I don't think I've felt bored in decades precisely because I have so many things I like to think about. I'm not sure I could even turn that stuff off to actually feel bored any more.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#32

Post by vinceguidry » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:06 PM UTC

Boredom leads to inspiration, which leads to exploration which leads to passion which leads to disillusion which leads back to boredom.

Rinse and repeat until dead.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#33

Post by fokinsean » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:08 PM UTC

brootstrap wrote: post #10

stcredzero wrote: post #6

If it weren't for the crushing boredom of the suburbs when I was a child, I might not have learned how to program computers. I would never have thought so much about spaceships. The original Star Wars trilogy wouldn't have been nearly as cool to discover. I also play traditional music, though boredom wasn't part of my discovering that. However, silence was a big part of traditional music, in the past. You need empty…

Modern music is a mirror image of the internet culture as well. Blasted with as many synth hooks and processed vocal melodies as possible. I was recently turned onto this band called Wand. If you want to feel some delicious space in a song, check out Scarecrow by Wand. The video is amazingly simple too. The constant bombardment of shit is so real though. I want to spend time with my wife and kid. Sometimes it's hard…

+1 for Wand, been following them for a while. Their music has evolved quite a bit from earlier albums but they are still one of my favorites.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#34

Post by Ididntdothis » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:11 PM UTC

daveslash wrote: post #2

I was so bored this past weekend, and it was great. Every year I volunteer to backpack into the desert mountains of Southern California, sit in one spot for 3 full days, and count all of the Bighorn Sheep that I see. There's typically a total of an hour of excitement each day, and the rest is just sitting, staring at a mountainside. No cell reception, no human made structures visible, just two other people there with…

“Every year I volunteer to backpack into the desert mountains of Southern California, sit in one spot for 3 full days, and count all of the Bighorn Sheep that I see. “

Where is this if I may ask? And how many sheep do you get to see? I wouldn’t mind doing that and take my camera.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#35

Post by jokoon » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:12 PM UTC

I often have this weird fear that I wont accomplish anything in my life like it is some sort of personal failure.

Meanwhile I'm able to write about game ideas, code them, create some characters and story and background, even though it doesn't lead to anything since it's more of a hobby, but I fail to make it into a job. I love to think, create, try to design little things, and honestly that's the best pleasure I have.

In the end, I don't think I'm really unhappy. Nihilism is a good way to cope with my own reality. I don't think people who fill their time with a job to kill the boredom are doing themselves a favor. The philosophy of contributing to society to gain money, quality holidays and entertainment seems weird to me.

I always wonder: when their week is over, where do people find refuge? Sports, hobbies, entertainment? I just don't understand how people can think about leaving this world without having something that is really their own. How do you live when you're just a consumer? What happens if you lose friends? In my own conception of life, I just don't understand how people can not feel lost if they don't create something that stems from their own selves.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#36

Post by alexbanks » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:13 PM UTC

99052882514569 wrote: post #29

alexbanks wrote: post #23

Being trapped in a middle of nowhere town that didn't even have sidewalks, combined with the (mis)fortune of having parents that couldn't possibly care less what I spent my time on all gave me everything I have today. Without those thousands of hours on the internet and nothing better to do, I would not be where I am today.

Counterpoints to "being bored made me awesome" that spring to mind immediately: You would be in a different place, and whether it's better or worse is unknowable. For every person inspired to greatness (or okayness) by boredom, there is someone driven to drug addiction by boredom.

You'll note that I did not say it made me awesome, nor did I suggest anyone else should do it. In fact, I even added the "(mis)fortune)" to point out the obvious negative aspect to my statement.

I literally just said those factors got me to where I am today. I did not imply where I am now is better than an alternative.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#37

Post by goutham2688 » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:15 PM UTC

random thought: Can this be why colder countries are doing better than hotter countries, by being forced to stay at home/shelter during winter periods.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#38

Post by t34543 » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:16 PM UTC

petra wrote: post #9

Being bored is great. You're forced to be with your thoughts. You have the opportunity to work on them. Be it via meditation. Or cognitive behavioral therapy. or whatever. And if you succeed, you earn a happier mind.

Boredom is where I recharge, it’s wonderful and therapeutic. It’s also at that moment where my creativity soars. Engineered engagement is at an all time high and I just need to get away from it all.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#39

Post by wilsocr88 » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:26 PM UTC

All of my best ideas happen when I'm bored. That's why I always keep a Google Keep, or Evernote, or just a notepad, nearby at all times. Sure, most of the time, nothing comes from these little ideas (often due to my own lack of sticktoitiveness), but boredom is undoubtedly a powerful catalyst of creation.

Re: Being Bored Is Good

#40

Post by ajcarpy2005 » Mon, Jul 08, 2019, 6:29 PM UTC

stcredzero wrote: post #6

If it weren't for the crushing boredom of the suburbs when I was a child, I might not have learned how to program computers. I would never have thought so much about spaceships. The original Star Wars trilogy wouldn't have been nearly as cool to discover. I also play traditional music, though boredom wasn't part of my discovering that. However, silence was a big part of traditional music, in the past. You need empty…

I urge you to listen to Aggaloch Falling Snow and Limbs. Listen with an open mind. It's very atmospheric. In another genre is Field Divisions Modest Mountains.