It's Good to Be Bored (I Think)

I've been thinking about how boredom makes us curious about the world.

Remember being kids? We actively fought boredom. We daydreamed. We constantly searched for something interesting to do or at least a way to kill boredom. I think kids feel boredom so intensely because it's nature's way of pushing us to explore and learn.

I suspect people throughout history were incredibly bored. And maybe that's how many songs, books, art pieces, inventions, and discoveries originated.

Think about Newton, who was famous for daydreaming. Picture him sitting under that tree, watching an apple fall. His genius wasn't realizing that apples fall—everyone knew that. He discovered that the same force pulling the apple down keeps the moon circling Earth and planets orbiting the sun. Thousands of astronomers had tracked planetary motion. Millions had seen apples fall. But Newton realized these were the same phenomenon. One universal law explained both earthly and celestial motion.

I imagine him bored enough to watch and track the motions of celestial bodies. Staring at the moon at night. Staring at his orchard during the day. Wondering what made the moon follow these patterns until it all clicked in his head.

I think this is what happens when our minds have time to wander. Time to ask non-urgent questions. Time to connect dots across different fields.

These days, I notice the only time I'm truly alone with my thoughts is in those few minutes before sleep. Even then, I often reach for my phone.

I think our brains need space to process, connect, and create. Maybe boredom is as important as sleep. Just like hunger keeps us healthy while overeating hurts us, I suspect that being occasionally bored is exactly what we need in a world where we can always avoid it.