health
February 27, 2026
Boredom Is the Price We Pay for Meaning
When I became a father, I was forced to reckon with the emotion that consumed my days.
TL;DR
- The author experienced profound love for his child but was shocked by his dislike for the day-to-day experience of fatherhood, which was dominated by boredom.
- Societal expectations frame parenting as an adventure, making it difficult to admit that it can be monotonous and alienating.
- Boredom, while often viewed negatively and potentially linked to dangerous behaviors, can also spur imagination, resourcefulness, and the search for more absorbing circumstances.
- Joseph Brodsky argued that boredom teaches us about our insignificance, which paradoxically charges life with greater meaning and vitality.
- The author suggests that boredom is an unavoidable price for a life rich with meaning, and that accepting this can make the feeling more endurable.
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