Let Children Get Bored Again
Boredom teaches us that life isn’t a parade of amusements. More important, it spawns creativity and self-sufficiency.
"Kids won’t listen to long lectures, goes the argument, so it’s on us to serve up learning in easier-to-swallow portions.
But
surely teaching children to endure boredom rather than ratcheting up
the entertainment will prepare them for a more realistic future, one
that doesn’t raise false expectations of what work or life itself
actually entails. One day, even in a job they otherwise love, our kids
may have to spend an entire day answering Friday’s leftover email. They
may have to check spreadsheets. Or assist robots at a vast
internet-ready warehouse.
This sounds
boring, you might conclude. It sounds like work, and it sounds like
life. Perhaps we should get used to it again, and use it to our benefit.
Perhaps in an incessant, up-the-ante world, we could do with a little
less excitement."
