For some people there aren't enough hours in a day, for others there's way too many, and for some, each moment is lived as it presents itself. No racing, no cramming, no dragging, no holding back, life as it happens, moment by moment.......for some, is to be lived. Time is a funny thing, because although we have separated moments and distinguished them by giving them names; seconds, minutes, hours, weeks etc.these are just names, words, for changes taking place. The way we distinguish one "change" from another, is (in this case) using the construct of time. On this blue and green planet, we seem very pre-occupied with this particular human construct, maybe one can even go as far as to say; we march to the beat of the clock with each tick then tock separating the now from the past.
Time as we experience it can be viewed as having moving goalposts; if you are waiting to see the doctor for a stomach pain that's having you bent over in pain, time probably seem to pass very slowly, however, if you are watching an entertaining movie, time may seem as if its "flying" away.
Some people say that time seem to go faster as they grow older, which can be disheartening since not many want to rush "quickly into that dark night", which leads me to ponder; are we even aware of time as it passes, or do most of us look in the mirror one morning and shriek: "Cripes!!! who's that old person in the mirror #^&*!!!!!"
Time passes, and without prejudice, we have no control over it(hold on now, before you launch into cryogenics or quantum science...:)although we certainly have cracks at it. Botox, implants, cosmetic surgery, fervent exercising, multi-vitamins and minerals, spa's, lifestyle changes, phew! and much much more....we try it all to remain the Ferrari/Mercedes Benz we used to be.
But...it is not going to prevent time from mercilessly marching on; we can polish, repaint, and even exchange engine parts, eventually we have to accept that for all our attempts at keeping time at bay, over this we have no control.
And this is good.
When we buy fresh food it often has a use by date on it, (like many other semi-fresh products) and to enjoy our purchase, we use it before the due date. We know it has an expiry date, so we enjoy it while it is fresh and good. A bit like life; we have an expiry date and the fact that we do so, encourages me into thinking that it should be enjoyed while it is still ours for the taking.
Which brings me to boredom.......since I have never experienced it, I have had to do some research to find out what it is...
Heidegger says: "Profound boredom, drifting here and there in the abysses of our existence like a muffling fog, removes all things and men and oneself along with it into a remarkable indifference".
and Fromm, "the search for thrills and novelty that characterises consumer culture are not solutions to boredom, but mere distractions from boredom which, he argues, continues unconsciously".
Often boredom is linked to depression, ennui, lack of stimuli, anxiety, listlessness, and failures of attention. When someone says: "I'm bored!", what is an acceptable response?
Is there a question in that statement? Or when someone says:"I don't want to do it, it's boring", how are we supposed to interpret that statement?
Or "he/she is a boring person"..........is that a statement about the person making the comment, the person whom the comment is about,...or maybe both?
Maybe all of us are "boring" in some persons eyes, and vivacious and entertaining in some one elses, and yet maybe to some, we are unremarkable.......
Could it be that the experience of boredom is a very personal one and as such we have the potential for transforming it by changing our perceptions? Maybe if we become more attentive, look deeper into why we experience something, someone, as boring, we may find an underlying unmet need in ourselves, and by identifying it we may also discover what we ourselves can do to make our lives more fulfilling and satisfying. As each moment presents itself to us we can choose how we want to enjoy, live, that moment, all we have to do really is to be aware of it and since
at this juncture in time we have not as yet perfected time travel, we can not go back in time and do things differently which leaves us only with now, and if we are fortunate enough,...tomorrow.
Life happens now, this is the moment.
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