I'm Bored

"Boredom is often from within and rarely from without." A priest told me that. It sounds like a saying. Something held onto more for the clever turn of phrase than for real depth of meaning. Nevertheless, this is no trite piece of advice. I think it is something that shapes me more and more everyday I stop and reflect on it. How much of what we do is to escape boredom? And how often do our attempts to escape boredom fail us? Quieting oneself is a skill that is no longer taught once one has mastered temper tantrums, but it is a lesson that we should never stop learning. How often is it that that which seems most tedious is most rewarding? The greatest books require immense concentration to read and even more to really grasp, yet those clearly have the most to offer. Happiness and peace, not entertainment and pleasure, should be goals for us. It's not a matter of stoicism and asceticism. One should not deny oneself one's desires, but desires are not always so obvious and superficial. Many would "choose" an afternoon on a couch in front of the TV, but how often would one be satisfied with that decision once the afternoon evaporated. Sometimes hard friendships are the most rewarding. Often sweat makes one happier at work than scratching by with the minimum effort. The security and happiness of a simple life is greater than that of a life of conspicous consumption. At the end of the day, no matter what our political stripes, we should always seeks to make the path to real happiness as straight and as clear as possible.