"Duh, Bor-ing" ~Joseph Epstein

"Duh, Bor-ing", written by Joseph Epstein was one of the essays that motivated me to start thinking. Epstein created an essay filled with engaging observations about the idea of boredom. Although many of his references were those of which I've never heard, it was very interesting to read an essay partly meant to inform the reader about the countless ways that boredom has been analyzed. Along with his essay, he has also been a highly contributing editor of The American Scholar magazine. He was also awarded a National Humanities Medal, and wrote many short stories for different newspapers and magazines. Throughout the essay, Epstein wants to take away this seemingly negative connotation that has surrounded the word "boredom". In order to do this, Epstein first pushes the idea that boredom is part of human nature. He then goes on to briefly discuss the relatively well-known question as to how the current generation can be so "bored", when in reality, so much has been given to prevent boredom, including electronic toys, books, and sitting before screens. One of my favorite contributions to the essay was the way in which Joseph Epstein uses these little scenarios of his life, or life in general, to connect to his audience. He writes, "My own experience of boredom was intermittent, never chronic." (103) He then goes on to explain how his mother would tell him to "'knock your head against the wall'" (103) whenever he complained about his boredom. One of Epstein's greatest strengths, in my opinion, would be helping the reader to understand by using short narratives from his own life. In that particular quote, he attempted to tell the reader that boredom in his life was not continuous, but instead, it was situational, and only lasted a short period of time. One point I thought the author tried to make was that out of boredom can come brilliant ideas. He explains that Steve Jobs was quite possibly an "evil genius" (109) because he created new ways to defeat boredom, (Ipads and Iphones), when boredom is solely a "timeout for thought" (109). He concludes the essay by telling the reader that boredom should not be avoided, nor should it be considered a problem to be fixed. We are lucky to be living with boredom, and hopefully we will have to live with it for a while longer. The essay serves its purpose well, in that it shows the reader why boredom is a natural and necessary part of life.

                                            Electronics Eliminate "Timeout for Thought" (109)
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