The decline of boredom

Since the dawn of consciousness, humans have gazed at the stars and pondered their place in the cosmos. We have also, it seems, been plagued by a more earthly concern: boredom. The ancient Greeks even had a word for it: acedia.  Acedia was more than just a fleeting feeling; it was a profound sense of listlessness, a spiritual malaise that spoke to a lack of engagement with the world.
Aristotle, for instance, believed that acedia was antithetical to living a good life. To him, true fulfillment came from actively participating in the world, pursuing knowledge, and striving for virtue. In his Nicomachean Ethics, he argued that happiness was not a passive state but an activity, a continuous striving for excellence.
Even Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher-king of Rome, grappled with the specter of boredom. In his Meditations, he reflected on the cyclical nature of existence, the repetitive patterns of human behavior, and the seeming lack of novelty in the world. Yet, he also found solace in the pursuit of wisdom and the acceptance of one's place in the grand tapestry of the universe.
But why, if boredom has been with us since antiquity, do we still fall prey to it so easily?  Some scientists propose an interesting theory: that boredom arises from our innate desire for an ideal level of stimulation. Like Goldilocks seeking the perfect porridge, our minds and bodies are constantly searching for a balance between under-stimulation and over-stimulation.
When we are over-stimulated, our systems become flooded with stress hormones, leading to a rapid depletion of energy. This explains why a toddler, a whirlwind of activity one moment, can collapse into a deep sleep instantly. Their young brains are still learning to regulate this delicate balance.
Conversely, when we are under-stimulated, boredom sets in. It is a powerful force, this boredom, for it motivates us to seek out new experiences, to explore the world around us. Our attention wanders, our inner voices grow louder, and our imaginations run wild. We crave novelty, engagement, and the release of dopamine that comes with discovering something new.
In our modern age, however, boredom seems to be on the wane. The ubiquitous smartphone, a portal to endless distraction, has become our constant companion. Waiting for a bus? Scroll through social media. Sitting in a doctor's office? Lose yourself in a game. The quiet moments of reflection, once so common in our lives, are now increasingly rare. (Think of the long history of bathroom break boredom)
But is this constant stimulation truly beneficial?  While the immediate gratification of digital entertainment is undeniable, there is growing concern about its long-term consequences. As educators, we are witnessing a decline in attention spans among our students. Kids who once could sit through a twenty-minute lesson now show signs of restlessness after just a few minutes (My favourite is when they quietly open their computers as if I don't notice).
This erosion of attention has profound implications. It hinders our ability to engage in deep thought, to grapple with complex problems, and to generate truly innovative solutions. While these classroom issues are minor on a large scale, the growing trend of decreasing attention spans does pose large-scale societal issues. Big problems require complex thinking and innovative idea generation. This requires 'sitting with the problem', often for long periods of time. Good solutions aren't necessarily the fast ones. Climate change, for example, is an issue that requires innovative solutions that are based in futuristic science. Large-scale algae farms, giant mirrors in space, and large-scale land reclamation projects are concepts that require deep thinking. The current global strategy of reducing consumption has not worked and has resulted in political strife across the globe.
The solution, however, is not to simply ban devices and force students into a state of boredom. As Karl Popper wisely observed, true learning occurs through active engagement with the world, through the formulation and testing of ideas. We must, as educators, create meaningful experiences that ignite students' curiosity and inspire them to explore, to question, and to discover.
This is no easy task. It requires a fundamental shift in our approach to education. We must move beyond the rote memorization of facts and figures and cultivate a love of learning for its own sake. We must empower students to become active participants in their education, to see themselves not as passive recipients of knowledge but as explorers charting their own course through the vast expanse of human understanding.
In the words of the great Carl Sagan, "Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known."  It is our duty, as educators, to nurture that sense of wonder, to foster the intellectual curiosity that will lead our students to make their own incredible discoveries. And perhaps, in the process, we can rediscover the value of boredom, that quiet space where creativity and innovation can flourish.