Sunday, April 3, 2011

Boredom: Principles and Causes

Nomads are not boring people and they generally don't get bored. The constant change keeps breaking the monotony of life and keeps it vibrant. We can always find them with a new story or two. I am bored today. I will dig deep into boredom, just out of boredom. 

Boredom does not actually have a principle, let alone the plural "principles". It is inherent and embedded into the human thought process just like happiness, sadness, anger etc. Boredom involves being a little annoyed, finding nothing to interest you. Even things that would give you ultimate pleasure can look mundane. Let's look at the causes: 

Isolation: You must have lived all your life in the company of people who may be categorized as "interesting". Their physical presence (presence, I believe, is physical only) has occupied your thoughts for a long time but now they have left. You look at stray animals who have a pleasant company, remember the good old days, feel blue and get bored due to this empty, hollow feeling.

Routine: Routine can be interesting and boring at the same time, depending on how we perceive it. Some people work all day, some people do nothing. People who work all day get bored because they lack that element of surprise. People who do nothing are prone to being "disturbed" by those who think they should not be just lying around. This keeps up the element of surprise in their lives. Doing nothing is difficult, achievable but can lead to isolation too as it takes endurance to resist the public demand to work. 

Extra Excitement: Extra excitement is dangerous too. You may have this amazing one day in your life and then the next day feels so boring. I have often heard people being bored a day after a rocking rock concert, a late night party, a fantastic cricket match etc. Extra excitement should not be avoided due to its repercussions, I emphasize here.

Mr. B: We all have a Mr. B in our lives. Mr. B is that not-so awaited person who was born to bore us. There is a Mr. B made for all of us. There could also be a Ms. B but hardly it so happens that men find women boring, I add here that I am an exception to that. I can't deny the presence of a Ms. B. I'll focus on Mr. B however. So, Mr. B will find you however hard you try to avoid him. Mr. B will make sure you get those needed breaks from happiness and feel bored, it's his duty to do so. He will just poke into the fun part of your life. You are listening to your favorite music and he will crack the worst joke (fact, according to him) that offends your sentiments. He will ask you for the title of the book that is entertaining you at the moment and try to make out and tell you some story which he believes could go with the title. He will kill the suspense of a thriller movie. He will just "talk" when you don't want him to. And finally, people who use the mass media (blogs for eg.), like me, are special Mr. Bs, we are born with a greater purpose: that of saving the human race from the routine called "happiness".    




On that note, I conclude hoping that I have been successful in doing my bit. Till the next time, 


"May you live in interesting times!"
-Ancient Chinese Curse

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Being April Fool


I was born in April. I celebrate April Fool's Day like my birthday. I cut cake, wish others believing it is their birthday as well. I have not really been a prankster but I have been fooled a lot of times and done foolish things. Although I have grown quite smart now, autorickshaw drivers, fruit sellers and other smarter species continue to fool me, not just in April. I won't go about insulting myself much. This article will proudly boast of things I have experienced which have been quite foolish. Comedy comes from tragedy, here's my side: 


On a bright summer sunny day in Kanpur (just for the effects) I returned from school quite excited. I had been informed about the supposed first summer camp. So, as always (and with a bit more enthusiasm that day) I started telling my elder sisters about what I was told, word by word as I remembered. "Pata hai, summer camp me swimming sikhaane wale hain!", said I beaming with exuberance as if they were paying me to advertise. My sister, I fail to understand how, asked me with some surprise element, "Accha Ankie! Kaha par?". "Paani me", I replied. I had wanted to say "river" but then I just blurted out whatever I felt like.

Then on a not so bright day, the computer needed to be shifted to some other place in the house. I guess I was in second grade then. My father always knew I was intelligent and took keen interest in electric equipments and procedure etc. (reference to the shock incident). So, he asked me to check if the power socket was working. I peeped into the hole, looking for "electric sparks" which I was sure to find in any working electric socket. Sadly it wasn't there, but to my amazement the socket worked like wonder! 

Foolish is as foolish does.


"Think about yourself at least once in your lifetime, otherwise you may miss the best comedy in this world!" 
- William Shakespeare