The post was extremely knowledgeable and informative. It helped me look into the matters that were always overlooked. I found the "Today’s Stoic Gameplan" really helpful and would follow it
Spot on with your diagnosis of boredom. It’s not the world’s chaos demanding our energy; it’s our own restlessness demanding release.
The best move is simple: don’t complain—have a plan and produce. Cato knew it; Seneca lived it. Real strength isn’t raging at what’s broken out there. It’s building something solid in here, day by day, until the noise fades to background static. That’s what I’ve been doing since taking a six-month hiatus from Substack. Thanks for the reminder to stay steady.
This is brillant, especially the framing of boredom as pressure rather than absence. The phantasia kataleptike point hits diffrent though - when you realize criticism is just your mind manufacturing enemies because it has nothing real to solve, it becomes almost absurd to keep doing it. Makes me wonder if most people would actually know what to do with themselves if everything they complained about suddenly got fixed.
I loved the writing, as usual. However, there is an irony here for me. Bemoaning the state of the world that criticizes out of boredom. The main positive action I could discern is to avoid criticizing. Yet entire post is itself a criticism.
Might we wish to distinguish between constructive criticism and that which is mindless? What I sense here is the work of discernment, not one of judgment and condemnation. All the same, I find your point to be well taken and worthy of being raised. Thank you.
Another great post, really enjoyed it. Going phone free on the commute for two hours a day I am beginning to feel like the world expert at boredom. I spoke to someone this morning who shared the increasingly common "good to be bored occasionally" idea. This piece is a great way of understanding exactly why. It feels like boredom is a term that needs to be broken up, so you listen clearly to what's coming - 1. calls to use the phone, 2. recurrent worries etc etc. Identifying the specifics of boredom is where it gets really helpful.
Much respect to you, that's a great move. I found my mind was such a mess I couldn't stick to reading. This more direct approach oddly felt more implementable for me. Plus I think I'm learning from it. But yes, the "no books" thing has definitely caused some debate!
Agreed re actually being able to get anything done on British trains. I'm writing tomorrow about this; if you watch people on the commute (where nearly everyone is using some sort of tech) they often seem caught in a kind of darting "stop-start" cycle. No disrespect to them - that is totally the way my mind works too.
My son turned me on to stoics years ago. They were one of places I grabbed on, because they are so helpful. I like the messages from you in particular. I need permission right now to have someone open my card for most subscriptions. Sometimes they just go through. I think the person who has been allowing them will at some point soon stop allowing more. I am going to try. If it doesn't go through, and it probably won't; I will ask her later and see what happens. I have always valued your work.
The Stoics understood that boredom isn't absence of stimulation but absence of meaning. When we blame the world for our restlessness, we outsource the responsibility that belongs to us alone. What if boredom is actually your consciousness demanding deeper engagement with the patterns already present, not new distractions?
Boredom is the friction between a mind designed for expansion and a life built without a structure to contain it. Most people blame the world for their restlessness because it is easier to criticize the external than to architect the internal.
As Marcus Aurelius suggested, the soul becomes dyed by the color of its thoughts—if you are bored, your internal palette has grown stagnant. Don't look for a new world; build a better frame.
Super informative and ever more relevant in todays age of social media. I often see friends and family who have managed to make good lives for themselves; they’re materially wealthy, live in a safe area and have food on the plate but due to an over consumption of news, specifically news driven by hate are deeply unhappy. My mother’s aged friend lives in rural Scotland outside of Glasgow in a serene house by a lake and spends her days enraged at TikTok reels, when if she just looked up towards her surroundings she’d be at peace. I used to be confused by it but there’s certainly a lot of that in all of us.
helpful food for thought in here: 1) he Stoics called this “phantasia kataleptike”...impressions that arise unbidden in consciousness, the automatic judgments the mind makes about whatever it encounters. When the mind has no real problems to engage with, it doesn’t rest. It creates phantom problems from thin air...", 2) "Cato saw that boredom at scale is dangerous. People with too much time and too little purpose don’t become peaceful.", 3) "The Stoics made a distinction between skhole and ascholia. Skhole meant leisure properly used: time for contemplation, learning, conversation that deepens understanding. Ascholia meant the restless busyness that avoids contemplation, the filling of time with activity that produces nothing except the temporary sensation of being occupied."
If you can sit still without the need for distraction for 30 minutes, and feel grateful and happy, you are ahead of 99% of people.
The post was extremely knowledgeable and informative. It helped me look into the matters that were always overlooked. I found the "Today’s Stoic Gameplan" really helpful and would follow it
Criticise or create. This is so profound.
Spot on with your diagnosis of boredom. It’s not the world’s chaos demanding our energy; it’s our own restlessness demanding release.
The best move is simple: don’t complain—have a plan and produce. Cato knew it; Seneca lived it. Real strength isn’t raging at what’s broken out there. It’s building something solid in here, day by day, until the noise fades to background static. That’s what I’ve been doing since taking a six-month hiatus from Substack. Thanks for the reminder to stay steady.
This is brillant, especially the framing of boredom as pressure rather than absence. The phantasia kataleptike point hits diffrent though - when you realize criticism is just your mind manufacturing enemies because it has nothing real to solve, it becomes almost absurd to keep doing it. Makes me wonder if most people would actually know what to do with themselves if everything they complained about suddenly got fixed.
I loved the writing, as usual. However, there is an irony here for me. Bemoaning the state of the world that criticizes out of boredom. The main positive action I could discern is to avoid criticizing. Yet entire post is itself a criticism.
Might we wish to distinguish between constructive criticism and that which is mindless? What I sense here is the work of discernment, not one of judgment and condemnation. All the same, I find your point to be well taken and worthy of being raised. Thank you.
The Buddhists call it discriminating awareness 🦋
Extremely worthwhile
Fantastic read! 🥰
Thank you
Another great post, really enjoyed it. Going phone free on the commute for two hours a day I am beginning to feel like the world expert at boredom. I spoke to someone this morning who shared the increasingly common "good to be bored occasionally" idea. This piece is a great way of understanding exactly why. It feels like boredom is a term that needs to be broken up, so you listen clearly to what's coming - 1. calls to use the phone, 2. recurrent worries etc etc. Identifying the specifics of boredom is where it gets really helpful.
I’ve learned to love commutes as I’ve turned it into uninterrupted reading time. Phone stays in pocket and laptop stays away.
The British train system isn’t ideal for working on laptops anyway so it’s a good time to have a guilt free read.
Much respect to you, that's a great move. I found my mind was such a mess I couldn't stick to reading. This more direct approach oddly felt more implementable for me. Plus I think I'm learning from it. But yes, the "no books" thing has definitely caused some debate!
Agreed re actually being able to get anything done on British trains. I'm writing tomorrow about this; if you watch people on the commute (where nearly everyone is using some sort of tech) they often seem caught in a kind of darting "stop-start" cycle. No disrespect to them - that is totally the way my mind works too.
Excellent! I needed to read this today. Thank you.
My son turned me on to stoics years ago. They were one of places I grabbed on, because they are so helpful. I like the messages from you in particular. I need permission right now to have someone open my card for most subscriptions. Sometimes they just go through. I think the person who has been allowing them will at some point soon stop allowing more. I am going to try. If it doesn't go through, and it probably won't; I will ask her later and see what happens. I have always valued your work.
The Stoics understood that boredom isn't absence of stimulation but absence of meaning. When we blame the world for our restlessness, we outsource the responsibility that belongs to us alone. What if boredom is actually your consciousness demanding deeper engagement with the patterns already present, not new distractions?
Boredom is the friction between a mind designed for expansion and a life built without a structure to contain it. Most people blame the world for their restlessness because it is easier to criticize the external than to architect the internal.
As Marcus Aurelius suggested, the soul becomes dyed by the color of its thoughts—if you are bored, your internal palette has grown stagnant. Don't look for a new world; build a better frame.
Super informative and ever more relevant in todays age of social media. I often see friends and family who have managed to make good lives for themselves; they’re materially wealthy, live in a safe area and have food on the plate but due to an over consumption of news, specifically news driven by hate are deeply unhappy. My mother’s aged friend lives in rural Scotland outside of Glasgow in a serene house by a lake and spends her days enraged at TikTok reels, when if she just looked up towards her surroundings she’d be at peace. I used to be confused by it but there’s certainly a lot of that in all of us.
helpful food for thought in here: 1) he Stoics called this “phantasia kataleptike”...impressions that arise unbidden in consciousness, the automatic judgments the mind makes about whatever it encounters. When the mind has no real problems to engage with, it doesn’t rest. It creates phantom problems from thin air...", 2) "Cato saw that boredom at scale is dangerous. People with too much time and too little purpose don’t become peaceful.", 3) "The Stoics made a distinction between skhole and ascholia. Skhole meant leisure properly used: time for contemplation, learning, conversation that deepens understanding. Ascholia meant the restless busyness that avoids contemplation, the filling of time with activity that produces nothing except the temporary sensation of being occupied."