The luxury of getting bored

Here in Australia, I am regularly surprised by the odd school holiday dates. Schools are randomly closed for a couple of weeks four times throughout the year. Just like for the past two weeks.

Mindboggling, I know!

Whereas in Italy, schools are closed for the usual religious celebrations and from June to September. That’s not only ‘summer holiday’ but also a defined separation between school years, a break from a winter routine made of quick breakfasts and afternoon activities, a rite of passage, a way to practice the Latin virtue of ‘otium’.

Insert nerd-time-with-barb intro song here.

Romans believed life needed balance between work or social life in general (‘negotium’), and leisure time in which one could learn and reflect (‘otium’). Centuries later, this ‘otium’ word became a synonym to ‘laziness’ but I have a very specific memory of one of our politicians who, many moons ago at the beginning of a summer holiday, said: 'Younglings, allow yourselves to get bored and be lazy’.

Parents and teachers started riots on the streets after that comment.

Now, years later and after an article in which I stated that we have the moral obligation to utilise this pandemic to be productive, I am thinking back to those words and, you know what?

We do owe it to ourselves to be bored and if not that, at least do one thing at a time.

And I don’t mean just putting something on Youtube or just scrolling through Instagram… I am talking about something that’s enriching and contributes to our lives in a positive and constructive way. Personally, I put reading in this category despite re-reading Harry Potter for the eleventh time won’t really help me grow as a person.

It’s fine, everyone makes their own rules when it comes to their own free time.

I am becoming more and more concerned with the amount of time I spend online ‘doing nothing’ while being very busy at the same time! Sometimes I start a dual-screen on my phone so I can do nothing, but more!

I have the complete World knowledge in my hands and I totally use the device to watch Youtube videos and shop online for the products mentioned.

Who has never watched TV while being on their phone? Or have been listening to music outside and messaging at the same time? The list goes on and we’re all guilty of something like that.

It may be because these examples happen so often that I don’t keep track of them, but I do remember fondly the times when I sat outside looking at the world around me, or when I became a sofa-burrito and got absorbed into an excellent movie, or when I laid in bed listening to an audiobook on a rainy day.

Enjoying my free time focusing on one thing and letting it guide my thoughts without hiding behind Social media, that’s what I consider ‘otium’ and that’s what I believe was the politician’s suggestion.

If I were the politician I would invite you not to let your hobbies become side hustles, nor for Social media to dictate both your online presence and your real one too, and to not let emptiness scare you. Dig deeper, find the key for you to be comfortable doing one thing and do it for as long as you can.

And because I am not a politician, I am actually putting my words into practice. Daily, I set a twelve-minute timer during my lunch break where I try not to look at my computer monitors and only focus on hand lettering (which was my 2020 resolution and now it feels like a different life).

To conclude, let’s make the most out of this pandemic by not making the most out of it.



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