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He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

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Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#21

Post by guerrilla »

Zambyte wrote: post #20
guerrilla wrote: post #12

Meta: Why are there fads like this? Like do people not see this? Everyone's suddenly so interested in how great boredom is, before this it was some other crap, then something else. I don't have a point but I just find it mildly irritating for some reason. It does make sense to collectively research things and exchange ideas but at the same time there's something off about it when it comes to mass media, like it's laz…

People have been interested in intentionally inducing boredom for literally hundreds of thousands of years (under the name "meditation"), so I think it is safe to say it is not a fad by now.

Counterpoint: That's a very superficial conception of meditation.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#23

Post by SoftTalker »

On the subject of intimate conversation...

> I think it means that you get to a place where you feel comfortable being vulnerable with someone else. It's sort of a shared environment that gets created between both people, where everyone involved in the conversation can say, yeah, I'm going to let down my guard. I'm going to reveal something true about myself

This would be exceedingly difficult for me to do, especially with someone I just met. I pretty much don't do it with anyone, to be honest. Seems like there are only downsides, especially in the age of social media where someone says something that is is then quoted out of context and follows you forever. Also why I'm not on social media.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#25

Post by sarkhan »

tomca32 wrote: post #17
ravenstine wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it really so inevitable? I sure hope not. Unless I get a meaningful amount of real autonomy, I am not cut out for management. Fortunately, any vague promises I've ever been given for more managerial roles have not actually materialized. I want to say no if they ever do.

It's not, at least not from my experience, but you have to be vocal about what you want. I was offered a managerial position multiple times and declined it every time saying that it would be a loss for both myself and the company. I'm way more useful in an individual contributor role and a better way to leverage my experience would be to be a cross-team IC and help on the more demanding projects/initiatives. Eventual…

Eeh, at some point, a nepotic Manager will move resources around in a way that an IC (should be manager) will be banging head on the railing with a question why am I not calling the shots.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#26

Post by saiya-jin »

guerrilla wrote: post #12

Meta: Why are there fads like this? Like do people not see this? Everyone's suddenly so interested in how great boredom is, before this it was some other crap, then something else. I don't have a point but I just find it mildly irritating for some reason. It does make sense to collectively research things and exchange ideas but at the same time there's something off about it when it comes to mass media, like it's laz…

Herd mentality. We all have it to some extent, even when actively trying to suppress it (me for example). It made human society what it is, and most probably was a great survival advantage early on.

Now it makes masses susceptible to populists, but wasn't it always the case? Just that masses before were even more meaningless and powerless without things like voting rights.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#27

Post by thefaux »

SoftTalker wrote: post #23

On the subject of intimate conversation... > I think it means that you get to a place where you feel comfortable being vulnerable with someone else. It's sort of a shared environment that gets created between both people, where everyone involved in the conversation can say, yeah, I'm going to let down my guard. I'm going to reveal something true about myself This would be exceedingly difficult for me to do, especiall…

There is tremendous upside to intimacy (which I admittedly struggle with too). By closing yourself off, you foreclose the possibility of deep relationships in which you are truly seem for the whole person you are. We are all deeply flawed and that is almost paradoxically what makes lovable. It is wise to protect yourself but the walks we build to protect ourselves become a prison.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#28

Post by akomtu »

Zambyte wrote: post #20
guerrilla wrote: post #12

Meta: Why are there fads like this? Like do people not see this? Everyone's suddenly so interested in how great boredom is, before this it was some other crap, then something else. I don't have a point but I just find it mildly irritating for some reason. It does make sense to collectively research things and exchange ideas but at the same time there's something off about it when it comes to mass media, like it's laz…

People have been interested in intentionally inducing boredom for literally hundreds of thousands of years (under the name "meditation"), so I think it is safe to say it is not a fad by now.

Meditation is more about learning to focus attention on boring things and discovering that the effort itself is rewarding. It's a lame materialistic description, but it's much closer to the truth. Doing gym stuff is a good analogy: moving weights around and to their original position looks silly to an outsider, but that's because the outsiders try to judge with their minds what can only be understood thru direct experience.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#29

Post by ericmcer »

dfxm12 wrote: post #8
mattgreenrocks wrote: post #6

> I would set everything else aside. I wouldn't look at my emails. I wouldn't have any meetings. I wouldn't do anything for the podcast. Just music. It allowed some space for my brain to get bored. I feel creatively dead, but mostly only at work. Never have enough time/space to let things just settle down, it seems like. This might be why I still resist management stuff: I dislike accepting responsibility for the pro…

Welcome to the rat race. Just wait until you get the responsibilities of a manager anyway without the pay increase! Might as well fight for that title...

Work is what you make of it, you can definitely prove yourself to be competent and valuable while not becoming critical. Just be respected enough to get your yearly raise/bonus, survive layoffs and get future referrals and recommendations. Not super complicated really.

Re: He felt 'creatively dead', then harnessed the power of boredom

#30

Post by RankingMember »

guerrilla wrote: post #12

Meta: Why are there fads like this? Like do people not see this? Everyone's suddenly so interested in how great boredom is, before this it was some other crap, then something else. I don't have a point but I just find it mildly irritating for some reason. It does make sense to collectively research things and exchange ideas but at the same time there's something off about it when it comes to mass media, like it's laz…

"His business was 'approaching bankruptcy', until he harnessed the power of self-delusion"
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