Boredom, like any ego attitude, can be looked at as a set of bodily sensations triggered by certain thoughts. This little package of feelings is noticed, and the mind decides to label it "boredom."

Another person might take a similar package and label it discouragement, loneliness, a respite from turmoil, or something else. The point is that boredom is not a discrete reality, and for this reason it does not have to be approached as something you must fear or battle.

Boredom is a very interesting package that can be calmly opened and examined. It can even become an object of meditation. If the bored individual chooses not to judge it as unwanted, something to avoid or to flee from, the package contents are far more varied and informative than one would expect.

Boredom is usually thought of as an absence of stimulus. The individual feels encased in dullness and tedium, and the tendency is to overreact. Yet if you closely inspect the components of this particular episode of boredom, you will discover a wise set of instructions.

Once you have had one or two experiences of another reality, the mistake of staying bored becomes more difficult. If you confine your attention to your surroundings and immediate lines of thought, you can definitely feel bored.

But when you remember that it's possible to allow the mind to soar, an uplifting breeze begins to blow. Soaring thoughts are very still. Picture your mind taking off on great wings of light and ask not where they are carrying you.

Copyright ©2023 Hugh & Gayle Prather. All rights reserved.

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