WHAT IS  B O R E D O M?

And here is a quote that I have remembered since I was 15 years old. It is from none other than Voltaire and it made me love him more than any other. Here it is: « Work keeps away from us three great evils: boredom, vice and need »

At the time, I had no difficulty understanding vice and need, but boredom, I did not know. That's why I set out to discover it a little more through this writing.

It is a fact that today I am bored. I will even say more, I am very bored
But what is boredom?
A certain Schopenhauer said the following: Boredom is not happiness or unhappiness. It is the absence of happiness, the lack of its presence.

Why did I bring up this philosopher?
I could have been satisfied with simpler definitions, namely that boredom is a sorrow, a great sadness, a moral weariness (which may be my case) an absence of interest in anything (again, it may be my case). I recognize that there is an absence of interest on my part, a feeling of emptiness. Yes, this feeling is unpleasant and may cause both worries and annoyances.

I read in Le Figaro of January 23, 2021, that a researcher has found that even if boredom can be good, and allows one to learn more about oneself through introspection, it becomes bad when it lasts too long. This prolonged boredom will then be at the origin of new manias, in some cases biting one's nails, tearing off one's skin or eyebrows. It can even lead to the appearance of eating disorders in those who eat to compensate for inaction. I confess that I know nothing about this and recognize that at every moment, I must free myself from this distress: boredom. But, if I leave it, will it catch up with me?
Besides, the same Schopenhauer added: I desire what I do not have. When I have, I no longer desire. So our whole life swings like a pendulum, from suffering to boredom.

And now suffering is involved. I don't want to raise this subject right now because Nietzsche warned me that if I suffer, someone must be the cause. I don't have the strength to look around to find the person responsible.

Why am I so bored these days?
The answer is simple: there is nothing exciting in my life.
A few years ago, after reading non-stop, books, magazines, everything I could get my hands on, I decided it was time to write. And I did. About everything.
Some people liked it and it encouraged me to write even more to the point where a friend recommended that I open a website to share with everyone. At first I refused and finally he convinced me.

I had to find a name for the site. The one I found had been living in me since I was twenty years old. The word WISDOM has haunted me since I was young. When I was twenty, I asked her: Wisdom, where are you? She answered: You are still too young, wait until you are forty. I kindly waited and asked again at forty. Her answer was: Oh, you are still looking for wisdom? You are on the right track, wait until you are sixty.

It is a fact that in my case, writing keeps me away from boredom, because I don't have time to think about anything other than what I am writing. So I would recommend to find an occupation, whatever it is, since this way boredom will not come to encumber this very moment. On the other hand, if it is a person who annoys you, then you will have to decide to avoid him or her or explain your point of view.
You should certainly avoid multiplying your own boredom by that of others.

I read somewhere that laughter is the antidote to gloom and boredom. And I confess that I often laugh. Could this be the right formula?
And here is a rather comical word from none other than Jean de La Fontaine: "Among friends, everything excuses itself, everything passes. Among lovers, everything pleases, everything is perfect. Among spouses, everything annoys and wearies. Was it even La Fontaine who said that he finally knew what distinguishes man from beast: money troubles.
Yes, I know it has nothing to do with my subject, but...

And to think that I'm in retirement and I hope I'll never be one of those retirees who kill their boredom in parks feeding pigeons.
I will rather rely on a beautiful word that Leo Tolstoy put in the mouth of Anna Karina, namely that 'reason was given to man to escape from his troubles'.

I will finish by simply hoping that this text did not bore you too much.
As a warning, beware if a man tells you that he is happy.
For him, it may be a way of saying: I have troubles that don't affect me. And remember one thing, if you happen to suffer, during this suffering you will not be bored.