By: Brian Harris
What do you think of the saying usually attributed to Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, “Hurry is not of the devil; Hurry is the Devil”?
Corrie ten Boom said a comparable thing, “If the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.” Beneath both is the idea that too much rush stops us from observing what is really going on and prevents us from being open to deeper realities tucked just below the surface, things we need to pause a while if we are to notice them and be impacted by them. When people complain that God does not speak to them I have often wondered if it is that God is not speaking or that they have not paused long enough to listen. The spiritual discipline of slowing down and listening carefully for the voice of God strikes me as being more important than ever.
The Surprising Benefits of Boredom
For all that, my focus in this post is to explore a different outcome from slowing down. It is the surprising benefits that can flow from boredom! Indeed, the link between boredom and creativity has now been noted. Ironically it turns out that our “I’m so bored, there is nothing to do” moments often turn out to be our most productive ones.
The Value of Boredom in Childhood
It’s a topic worth thinking about – even more so if you work with children. Apparently one of the most heinous crimes in the 21st century is to let a child become bored. Yet bored children often become self confident and highly creative adults – whilst endlessly entertained children are often left anxious, distracted and dependant. Perhaps we need to be a little bolder in promoting some of the virtues of boredom.
The Virtues of Boredom
Here are 5 to start with – and in your more boring moments perhaps you can extend the list to 10…. Boredom prompts our mind to wander into new territory. In that daydreaming space we might spot new things, notice fresh patterns and ask important questions. You don’t get to that zone if every minute of your time is already consumed. Boredom can be a signal of a need to change. We tend to climb whatever ladder is before us without checking it is against the right wall. Boredom can be an invitation to ask questions about meaning, shifting the dialogue from what I must do to the more fundamental “why am I doing what I do?” Boredom allows us to rest and re-energise. Instead of being desperate for a break, boredom provides us with time to relax. It leaves us keen to re-engage. Boredom allows us to process experiences more deeply and carefully. When things go wrong, instead of our routine self-justifying story (“I am great, you are not”) we might find the courage to ask, “What if I am wrong?” or “What if it is largely my fault?” or “What ways are there to do this better?” Boredom reminds us that we have space to experiment. When we are bored we are not so captured by what is that we fail to imagine an alternate space.
When Boredom Goes Wrong
Now I accept that some of my readers might be feeling a little twitchy at this point. They might want to quote back at me “the devil finds work for idle hands” – and could certainly cite some sobering examples of boredom going badly wrong. I imagine many of you already thinking of a bored King David not joining his troops in battle but mooching around at the palace and then spotting the lovely Bathsheba bathing (2 Sam 11). Need I say more. Adultery, betrayal, murder and family chaos are only a short step away. So much for that round of boredom! True, boredom can go badly wrong, but I wonder if that is not more likely if I view boredom as a problem best dealt with by being busy. I think it is far better to view boredom as a precious gift – an invitation to imagine a nobler version of my life, a healthier way of being a better parent, friend, spouse, employee, human.
Embracing Boredom as a Path to Creativity
“I’m bored!” I can still hear myself saying it as a child. “Invent a new game. Write a story. Make up a song. Watch the clouds. Spot how many things in the room start with the letter C. Go and play outside. Dig a hole to China,” my mother would reply. I’m so glad she did. Those open spaces provided room to daydream new worlds into being. So when you feel boredom creeping towards you, why not read a dull book – one that doesn’t demand all your attention but allows you to imagine who the characters could have been. Go for a walk – not with headphones on, but one where you ask yourself at the end, “what parables did I spot along the way?” Do a repetitious task – ironing, washing dishes, weeding, or knitting – while your mind embarks on a new adventure. Why embrace boredom to land in the place of creativity? Because that’s how God spoke reality into being. Gen 1:2-3 describes the start point: “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be…‘” What new worlds might spring into being if you and I embrace our duller moments and view them as an invitation to creativity? Or put differently, what is one dull day away from being imagined into being?
Article supplied with thanks to Brian Harris.
About the Author: Brian is a speaker, teacher, leader, writer, author and respected theologian who is founding director of the AVENIR Leadership Institute, fostering leaders who will make a positive impact on the world.
Feature image: Canva
