From Boredom to Personal Development, Conflict to Peace
There is a saying that goes, “There is no such thing as boredom, only boring people.†It is a good saying with a lot of truth to it. I would just clarify it a little by saying, “There is no such thing as boredom, only people in conflict.â€
There are a lot of ways different people define boredom. And unfortunately, in a lot of those definitions people confuse sublime states such as peace (tranquility, oneness) with boredom. To equate a state such as peace with boredom is a gross mischaracterization. To believe such a mischaracterization (even if it comes from you) is equivalent to believing the description of the colors of a blooming garden as a malaise of darkness by a person blind since birth.
Boredom is best described as a resistance to peace, which is to say that it is anything but peace; it is a state of conflict born of a sense of lack that leads to constant external searching. We are often entertained in this world by things that temporarily distract us from the inner recesses of our own minds (our beliefs about ourselves and the world). When our surroundings become peaceful and we are left only with the rushing torrent of tenacity cycling through our psyches, a conflict often arises–unless we fall asleep. Most people deal with this conflict only by running away from it, constantly searching for external distractions to fill the void believed to be within. But the smart ones eventually stop running, they look inside, face the torrent, learn to tame it, and look beyond its deceptive surface.
Personal development starts with facing the torrent. Which is to say, it starts by turning inward to the mind. It is a decision to move from endless external searching to internal reorganization and healing. As a man thinketh, so he sees the world. To a person who thinks problems are external, solutions are sought externally, and so that person goes through life avoiding what is within in search of what is without. To improve one’s self requires looking at the self; it requires taking responsibility for one’s self and how one thinks.
The peaceful mind is the mind without conflict; it is the mind cleaned free of unnecessary garbage, debris, and wanting; it is the mind able to live in the world without being of it. Freedom from boredom is freedom from conflict. The bored are as clueless about peace as the peaceful are immune to boredom. The acquisitive mind is doomed to boredom, for its premise of constant conflict is insatiable. If you believe you are lacking, you will find boredom. Peace arrives only when you fully realize that you contain all because there is no other.
Boredom rests on 3 essential attitudes and behaviors:
- I do not have all and so I must constantly acquire from outside myself to fill the void.
- I am separate, small, and lacking. I must fight to have. Therefore, I must teach war to learn the war I think I need.
- Stay focused on lack and separation as truth.
Peace also rests on 3 essential attitudes and behaviors:
- I have all because I am all and so need not acquire, only share.
- I am all and all is one. I already have all. Therefore, I must simply teach peace to have peace.
- Stay focused only on wholeness as truth.
Note: These attitudes and behaviors must be dealt with on the level of the mind. Do not get wrapped up in trying to change the world. You need simply to change your mind about the world.
The choice is yours as to which attitudes and behaviors you give your loyalty. Boredom or Peace?
Peace.
Zoom in for a closer look at the comic or print it (PC Right-Click image, MAC Control Click image). And access other content by signing up for Email Updates.
Leave a Reply