Monday, May 26, 2008

Boredom


The best period about anything is the beginning.

This is one of the few things I am absolutely sure about. I still remember the barely stifled joy I had while my father was installing our new Satellite receiver a few months after the end of the war. It was an incredible feast of all sorts of pandemonium after spending years watching Saddam's plain-vanilla TV. For days I sat mesmerized by the new powers of the blessed Remote Controller, flicking channel after channel and watching full-episodes of programs I have previously only heard about or saw snippets of as our ministry of misinformation felt like showing us, and of course I enjoyed secretly switching to the European Hotbird at night to have a guilty glimpse at some naked epidermis of the elusive female species.

In a few weeks I was bored, of the 399 choices I had I only ended up watching sitcoms such as Friends, and soon it hit me that I missed Saddam's TV in an inexplicable fashion, at first I didn't know why, but soon I came to realize that I felt this way because the dream-fantasy had been shattered : when you're imprisoned, sick, poor, whatever, you would have your revenge reveling about the wonders of the world you don't have : freedom, the heaven in the afterlife, wealth, that there's something out there that's better than this crap - in my case some magical land where the television has 399 channels and everybody is happy, but now that I have that magical land in my living room it turns out that there's nothing really special about it, if anything, it throws you in the middle of an awful chaos of channels that is going to take you forever to sort out.

the same disappointment applies to any number of things, meeting someone new, discovering God, masturbation, drugs, sex, pool, music and the all-encompassing life itself: for many people, childhood is the period they feel most nostalgic for. You spend a lot of time absorbing this wondrous world everyday, oblivious to the more horrible things in life such as responsibility,character, and developing deep feelings. I think discovering God has a slightly higher boredom curve because the actual reward is only granted when you pass away, keeping you forever tantalized, but I'm sure that the afterlife is going to be one hell of a boring dud (just imagine Teletubbies having sex and drinking wine forever and you'll see what I mean. Is that what we all really want?)

Everything is best when you're just getting started, when the excitement of adventure still hasn't turned into the routine of habit. When you listen to CDs not because you have to cuz you're a prestigious Metalhead who's forever looking for the next best riff out of duty, but because it excites you and kicks you in the ass. Have you thought about why all the great musicians, bar none, eventually settle into decline after hitting their peak? Their desire fades, replaced by a new desire, the inertia of habit and money, but mostly it's the boredom that engulfs both the artist and his fanbase. Human beings are too easily bored, and as a rule human creativity is limited in reinventing itself. The greatest thing Cobain did was kill himself before expiring into mediocrity, I'm sure he did it willingly.

I don't think anyone can be perpetually in love with anything, in the end it all resolves into boredom, or normalcy if you want to call it that, and you either reminisce about your past selectively or, if you have the guts, begin planning new conquests.

I read that Sweden has some of the highest suicide rates in the world, I found that to be hilariously funny. Here we are, the miserable Iraqis, bribing, enduring great difficulties, begging, being hauled as six-packs or twelve-packs in carton boxes with little holes to breath from, all just to get into your never-land of milk and honey, O Swedes, and you dumbfucks have the nerve to deny yourself that heaven voluntarily, have you no respect for our feelings?!? this got me thinking: what is it all about? what are we trying hard so for? look at them, they have the 2nd highest development index in the world and they kill themselves, why are we toiling ourselves then, for what, to provide food for our family and then die of terminal normalcy?

Have you asked yourself, why are human beings so into killing and raping each other? Why can't we all just Heal The Worllllllld, Make it a better plaaaaace, for you and for me and the entire human race? Let me tell you, because it's boring and stupid that way. Life is too boring without rape, murder, crime, death, loud music, war. One can never have an action movie without the villain, satan, jews, muslims, shia, the enemy is important for ourselves to not collapse into total boredom. Human beings are greedy and unjust by nature, always searching for more, because they are never content with what they have ; a forever crusade to famish the hungry well that will never be extinguished.

for what drives mighty conquerors such as Alexander the Great, or Khalid bin al-Walid to conquer all these lands if anything but their hollow souls?

To Be Continued...if I'm not too bored.

14 comments:

Lynnette In Minnesota said...

*sigh*

I think many people these days are running around trying to fill their days out of fear of boredom. They are too busy rushing off to the latest movie, restaurant, sporting event, concert, or weekend getaway at the lake to really sit down and just be. It's sad really.

The best period about anything is the beginning.

Oh sure, everything is fun when it's new. Then the novelty wears off and it just becomes part of the mundane.

Yet some of the funnest and most relaxing things I've done have been the simplest and most familiar; sitting on the deck on a sunny day reading a good book, playing poker at Christmas with family memebers, watching on old Andy Griffith rerun on cable, or drinking a Grasshopper(a frozen drink made with ice cream, crushed ice and Creme de Menthe) with my parents for my Dad's birthday.

lol! You don't need 399 channels to have fun. But it is nice to have the option. :)

I read that Sweden has some of the highest suicide rates in the world, I found that to be hilariously funny.

Sweden? Really? I would have guessed Japan. Sad. So many people out there who just don't realize how fortunate in many ways they really are.

for what drives mighty conquerors such as Alexander the Great,...

I can't answer that, Abbas. If you ever want to try to find out what drives revolutionaries, you may want to pick up "John Adams" by David McCullough. From the back cover:

In this powerful, epic biography, David McCullough unfolds the adventurous life journey of John Adams, the brilliant, fiercely independent, often irascible, always honest Yankee patriot who spared nothing in his zeal for the American Revolution; who rose to become the second president of the United States and saved the country from blundering into an unnecessary war; who was learned beyond all but a few and regarded by some as "out of his senses"; and whose marriage to the wise and valiant Abigail Adams is one of the most moving love stories in American history.

This is history on a grand scale-a book about politics and war and social issues, but also about human nature, love, religious faith, virtue, ambition, friendship, and betrayal, and the far-reaching consequences of noble ideas. Above all, John Adams is an enthralling, often surprising story of one of the most important and fascinating Americans who ever lived.


I've heard it's good, but haven't had a chance to read it yet. It is another book on my stack waiting to be read. But if you are looking to find something to relieve your boredom...

Well gotta run, Abbas, I'm up to the Ottoman Empire in that book I'm reading and I want to get a little further today. I think I will have to go back and reread your post on the Umayyads etc. It will mean more to me now.

Anand said...

Amazing post. Really perceptive.

But God is the one thing that isn't boring . . . it is beyond the senses, mind, thought, perception, understanding.

It is a trillion quintillion loves rolled into one. Bliss beyond understanding that never ends.

The purpose of all religion and spirituality is to escape the boredom.

nadia said...

"Teletubbies having sex and drinking wine forever"


what

Anonymous said...

that probably explains why anand is such a boring slime bag.

Anonymous said...

But God is the one thing that isn't boring

Shut up, you filthy Hindu. Your God is a cow.

Anonymous said...

Abbas ,
Are you bored with blogging? sounds like you are.

Anonymous said...

Me too , I feel the same , even the options that supposed to kill the boredom are boring now , so i invented : " The culture of Numb " .
creep

Anonymous said...

Being a Swede I couldn't take this at face value. Had to find out the deal about suicide rates. I went to trusted old Wiki to get some figures (and I double checked at WHO and they seem to be on the up and up).

Listed by country and suicide rate per 100.000. I chose some interesting candidates to portray:

And the winner is:

1 Lithuania 40.2

Impressive!

At tenth place we have the gass-yourself-in-car-nipponese:

10 Japan 24.0

Nope, Sweden is not even first in scandinavia, it ain't easy being a Finn:

16 Finland 20.3

What!? The french at #18 already? I would have thought working a mere 30 hours a week kept you happier:

18 France 18.0

Riches and beautiful scenery doesn't help much either it seeems:

19 Switzerland 17.4

A bit down the list at #26 but considering there's 1.4 billion of them I'd say they win in absolute terms:

26 People's Republic of China 13.9

They were recently named the happiest people in the world but some Danes still find reason to be grumpy:

27 Denmark 13.6

Tropical paradise? To hell with that, we'll kill ourselves regardless:

30 Seychelles 13.2

Finally at #32 we get to us Swedes. A handsome rate of 13.2 but not the suicidal freaks Catharsis heard we were:

31 Sweden 13.2

Moving on to the most powerful country:

43 United States 11.0

Still 11 in 100.000.

Hmmm...

Who is really glad to be alive then?

We find them in... The axis of Evil:

92 Iran 0.02
94 Syria 0.01

Bruno said...

I liked this post a lot, Abbas. What you said about the start of things being the most exciting is so true. The implications are interesting. IS that why modern culture is so flashy and trashy, with new fads coming out every minute? Or is that an inevitable byproduct of the capitalist, consumer system? A thought provoking post.

(LOL, I see Anand has made some new friends. Yes, people love him.)

Glory Rose! said...

lol we need to talk soon! :)

Anonymous said...

really really good post.

we, the commentors have not done it justice. tomorrow, i swear i will be back...tonight, too late..

annie

Anonymous said...

sheesh. there are so many points in this post worthy of commentary i don't know where to begin. i will choose the most inflammatory charge i suppose.


Have you asked yourself, why are human beings so into killing and raping each other? Why can't we all just Heal The Worllllllld, Make it a better plaaaaace, for you and for me and the entire human race? Let me tell you, because it's boring and stupid that way.


WRONNNNNGGGGGGGGGG

most people are peaceful beings. many would be COMPLETELY content on lollying thru their days smelling the roses (at least many of the women folks like me ;)..). making ends meet, feeding their children etc. not everyone lusts for power, is greedy, seeks to dominate others (not to focus solely on the negative aspects of motivated energized people, for of course their are many w/dominant characteristics who are positively channeled). but those people, by their very nature push society in a direction that DEMANDS to address crime and seek solutions for these crimes, or at the least galvanizes people's attention around horrendous events because it is fairly difficult to enjoy a dinner home w/the family when one of them is being tortured elsewhere or fending off threats.

that is my opinion anyway.

life moves in cycles, i will never ever forget the first time i learned to ride a bike. i swear the elation was unimaginable to me. once it becomes second nature the bike riding in itself is not boring, simply the absense of thrill which most of us seek in one form or another leaves an opening in the mind seeking thrill. thrill , like comfort, is something human nature seeks. if one cannot find it in positive things, it will seek them in destruction. this is how women remain in abusive relationships. the abuse replaces the lack of love but still constitutes 'attention', which is more desirable (to some) than nothing, absense, aloneness.

in the cycles of ebbs and flows like the tides there is that moment of silence before the storm. once we fully 'grok' something, or move past it, or are on the cusp of it, a stillness sets in that can trigger the next movement for sometimes we need that space or silence of mind.

just reading your blog, if one examines what comes before, and after the 'boredom', one can see progression taking place. the more courage, the more excruciating the 'boredom' might seem (to you, but not the reader)..

good post.

annie

Shams said...

"27 Denmark 13.6

Tropical paradise? To hell with that, we'll kill ourselves regardless"


Whhhaat? there was a yahoo video that says: Danes are the happiest people on planet earth and it explains why, basically all government support and easy services and people can study without paying money.

enjoyed this entry 3aboosi :)

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