BOREDOM: Fate or Choice?

By: Dianne B. Dapitan and Stacy Ellaine Lisondra


Anna is eighteen years of age. She’s from an average family and is now a college student. She experiences too much stress from all the projects, quizzes, case studies, and the list goes on. All her subjects have its special projects for the academic system was changed into an Outcome-Based Education (OBE). Not to mention with all her extracurricular activities. Ana barely enjoys her weekends. Her schedule is always jam-packed with all college tasks even on weekends. Stressed out, she often wished it’s already summer vacation for her to be free to do what she really wants to do.

Fast forward to Ana’s summer vacation, Ana is still stressed and what stresses her even more – boredom, despite her having a wide range of gadgets make it even more depressing. The current case is Ana wishes it’s the other way around. She now wishes for the summer vacation to end, for her to go back into her busy college life. Her dream summer vacation turns out to be a summer boredom.

Boredom is the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest according to Merriam Webster Dictionary. But what really drive youths to boredom? We all have the most advanced technology in the world yet we still end up getting bored. When was the last time you went under the sun and did something random? When you were still on your 6^th grade? Or perhaps 3^rd grade?

8 out of 10 youths that had been interviewed via Facebook had answered they used mainly technology in order to feed up their boredom, YET they end up getting more bored. I remember the first time I encountered social networking sites, it was Friendster on my 6^th grade, I forgot how it was to be a kid, running hard with sweats all over under the heat of the sun, and sit facing the old computer screen with the big rear that used to be the trend of the past. Technology had changed the society 360 degrees and put us to another dimension on what we’re ought to be.

Nowadays, teenagers often feel bored.  Who’s to be blamed? Blame it on the technology that is surrounding these earthlings. Technology may helped much in making our tasks easier and faster, but it also contributed some major destruction in many aspects. One of that aspect is the growing problem of the deterioration of some teenager values. Let’s face it, people are now becoming slaves of the technology. People, most especially teenagers, have a very low tolerance to boredom. This is due for the fact that everything we do now is through technology. Generally, teenagers can’t control themselves in turning to their mobile phones (esp. android phones), TVs, tablets, laptops, computers, and so on and so forth.

So how should we really get rid of boredom? Make things balance. I’m not even saying that there is a need to ban technology. I’m saying that every individuals should learn how to appreciate natural things and such. Ironically, years ago teenagers were very productive even though resources are scarce. Now, teenagers don’t even experience satisfaction in their everyday lives. Basically, all we need is to live simpler. Live naturally with lower expectations. After all, we are not superhuman.Do something new. How about go out of your comfort zone, travel more, see and discover the aesthetic nature, make indelible memories, capture photographs?And at the end of the day, write everything. Do something productive. Time is gold. You cannot bring back the time you had wasted with just scrolling your social networking sites. Worry about the money? Do something to enhance your health and lifestyle. Go out and do biking. Do sports. Do a random walk, or run.  You might as well do something that would feed your knowledge. Read more. Live more.