Something new

It's actually working. For those that still doesn't know, I'm dead set on being asocial for the next three weeks. Not only that, but I'm gonna experience boredom. Not just the "I have a few hours to kill" boredom, no, I'm going for the fully-fledged "My god, every day will be same for the next weeks!" boredom that is ready to kill you. Why? Because the last four years my life has been moving so fast and been so filled of things to do that I haven't had time to appreciate the fact that I can be bored. So I thought I'd take a breather and do it now. When I was young I was quite good at entertaining myself. I'd play myself in chess, or practice my combat techniques, or read a book. So, I've devised a system to fill my boredom. It's not avoiding boredom, it is filling it with things to do. A useful skill, I'd say. Anyway, here's my new system: Every morning I get up, I do my strength excersises, do the dishes and then grab a shower. Then it's breakfast while reading webcomics and the news, browse the mail and Facebook. After that I practice my guitar or read some books. Then it is a bit Civilization 4 (I'd highly recommend this game to anyone studying politics. It is beautiful to see how complex it can become) before lunch. After lunch I either play more guitar or read a bit fiction. then it is dinner, some spare time which I spend reading or thinking, and then bed. I've been repeating this for three days, and I can now understand how some people can cope with what I previously saw as plain dead boredom. Actually, that's wrong. What I saw a death sentence by boredom.

So, here's what you should do sometime. At a point when you're life is somewhat stable (no dying pets, suicidal girlfriends or feeling like taking a knife to your throat) take a few days off. Go into your room and be bored. Then try to fill that boredom. You, as a clever person, have all the faculties and tools to do this. But here's the catch. No one else can help. No calling others to have a cup of coffee, no socialising, no partying nor trips downtown. You, and your room. That's it. Don't spend money on a new game. You are allowed a book. Just take some time off and feel the boredom.

I can tell you this. I'm three days in, and I can feel the sluggish feeling of the two days past finally starting to leave me. Having no distraction seems to focus the brain while retaining a serene, peaceful state of mind. It is quite nice. I can now see why one would become a buddhist.