Bored to Death
The past few weekends I've had this 'can't decide what to do with myself' feeling and I hate it. I end up sleeping a lot and eating chocolate. I'm blaming it on this miserable wet grey weather that is never ending but I've got a feeling that there's more to it than that. I always get told off for saying I'm bored. I don't know if bored is really what I am feeling, because its more like frustration at not being able to decide what to do because nothing appeals to me, but then again, maybe that's the same thing?
Frederick Buecher says "to be bored is to turn down cold whatever life happens to be offering you at the moment. It is to cast a jaundiced eye at all life in general including most of all your own life. You feel nothing is worth getting excited about because you yourself are not worth getting excited about."
I like that quote, (although it troubles me a bit cos I'm always going around saying I'm bored) and I wonder if he's got a point that basically we have the choice to appreciate life (even if its not the way we'd choose it to be) or to complain about it, eat chocolate and sleep our way through. I think I need to be more focused, or positive in my thinking, in terms of choosing to look for good or at least remember the good that I have known before (without yearning for the past), even if the stuff round about doesn't look that good now. I guess we can't always love every minute of our days and there will be times when our enthusiasm fades, especially in the mundane/repetitive stuff, but maybe we can see it as helpful in terms of making us grow or teaching us patience or developing a sense of humour! something. I don't know if I agree about the "you yourself are not worth getting excited about" bit but perhaps he just means that that kind of unimpressed and uninterested attitude spreads through all our thinking, until we don't care about anything, even ourselves? Conversely it probably applies that the more you stop to appreciate things, the more you value who you are, who is round about you, what you have, and how amazing life is - a happy story all round. Not that its easy, or slushy self-help nonsense, but I think sooner or later it will always come back to God with the end result being praise and worship for Him and blessing and peace for us.
"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" Phil 4:8
Frederick Buecher says "to be bored is to turn down cold whatever life happens to be offering you at the moment. It is to cast a jaundiced eye at all life in general including most of all your own life. You feel nothing is worth getting excited about because you yourself are not worth getting excited about."
I like that quote, (although it troubles me a bit cos I'm always going around saying I'm bored) and I wonder if he's got a point that basically we have the choice to appreciate life (even if its not the way we'd choose it to be) or to complain about it, eat chocolate and sleep our way through. I think I need to be more focused, or positive in my thinking, in terms of choosing to look for good or at least remember the good that I have known before (without yearning for the past), even if the stuff round about doesn't look that good now. I guess we can't always love every minute of our days and there will be times when our enthusiasm fades, especially in the mundane/repetitive stuff, but maybe we can see it as helpful in terms of making us grow or teaching us patience or developing a sense of humour! something. I don't know if I agree about the "you yourself are not worth getting excited about" bit but perhaps he just means that that kind of unimpressed and uninterested attitude spreads through all our thinking, until we don't care about anything, even ourselves? Conversely it probably applies that the more you stop to appreciate things, the more you value who you are, who is round about you, what you have, and how amazing life is - a happy story all round. Not that its easy, or slushy self-help nonsense, but I think sooner or later it will always come back to God with the end result being praise and worship for Him and blessing and peace for us.
"...whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" Phil 4:8
2 comments:
That IS a good quote. I may have to steal it sometime.
It is wonderful to have such an immediate link to your thought process. It reminds me of the TPIW letters that i so diligently before and during Bible school. Studying about your life and the life that God has for you is a great adventure and constant learning experience. Even though we are many miles apart, i feel close to you when i read the thoughts you are recording here. missing my brother.
yours
seth
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