Never considered pursuing music! It was an amazing pastime, but I was certainly not committed enough to take it to the next level.
As to your other point - yes, I think this is true in general. I’d just add that being at your best in public requires some serious hard work in private…where you may perform even better. I guess it also has to do with the state of flow.
"Boredom is not the absence of stimulation. It's the presence of self."
That line stopped me.
The distinction between passive boredom (doom-scrolling) and active boredom (intentional emptiness) is crucial. Most people think boredom is the enemy, when actually it's the birthplace of creativity.
The Mann and Cadman study about copying phone numbers leading to more original ideas proves what we've all felt but ignored: the mind builds worlds when it has nothing to do.
Your point about AI and smartphones turning our cognitive terrain into "a permanent slight uphill stretch" is spot-on. We've normalized constant stimulation to the point where actual thinking feels uncomfortable.
"In an economy where attention is currency, boredom is rebellion."
That's not pretentious — that's accurate. The ability to sit with emptiness without immediately filling it is becoming a superpower.
This is one of those posts I'll come back to when I catch myself reaching for my phone out of habit.
Excellent post, O Future Pianist. 🙂 (Tip: start with scales. They're the key.)
I’ve played the piano for 12 years and truly enjoyed it. Too bad my studies got in the way.
Ah! I get you. Did you ever consider pursuing music? Also: I maintain you can divide the population of the world into two groups:
Those who do their best in public, in performance.
Those who do their best in private, in the practice room.
Which were you! :)
Never considered pursuing music! It was an amazing pastime, but I was certainly not committed enough to take it to the next level.
As to your other point - yes, I think this is true in general. I’d just add that being at your best in public requires some serious hard work in private…where you may perform even better. I guess it also has to do with the state of flow.
"Boredom is not the absence of stimulation. It's the presence of self."
That line stopped me.
The distinction between passive boredom (doom-scrolling) and active boredom (intentional emptiness) is crucial. Most people think boredom is the enemy, when actually it's the birthplace of creativity.
The Mann and Cadman study about copying phone numbers leading to more original ideas proves what we've all felt but ignored: the mind builds worlds when it has nothing to do.
Your point about AI and smartphones turning our cognitive terrain into "a permanent slight uphill stretch" is spot-on. We've normalized constant stimulation to the point where actual thinking feels uncomfortable.
"In an economy where attention is currency, boredom is rebellion."
That's not pretentious — that's accurate. The ability to sit with emptiness without immediately filling it is becoming a superpower.
This is one of those posts I'll come back to when I catch myself reaching for my phone out of habit.