Are there spiritual benefits of boredom?
Laura DeMaria
On Thursday I spoke on Morning Air about the spiritual possibilities of boredom. It’s good stuff! Listen here, starting at about 18:20. Notes:
Boredom happens! It’s natural, any time of year or life, and our natural tendency is to avoid it. It’s time to deprogram from seeking constant distractions and consumption and instead embrace that opportunity for silence and creativity.
We also talked about the habitual - addictive - way we reach for our phones and don’t even allow boredom to happen. Instead, we do mindless things. My favorite part of this interview was talking about remembering what we used to do in the evenings. before phones and social media - play a game, read a newspaper, play outside, call your Grandma.
We also discussed the role of imaginative contemplative prayer, how the use of your own imagination in the perfect antidote to boredom and the tendency to mindlessly scroll and consume.
Bottom line: don’t be afraid of boredom, it can’t hurt you, and God has given us the gift ourselves - so be with yourself!