Why Boredom Was Actually a Kingdom

 Why Boredom Was Actually a Kingdom

If you were born between 1960 and the mid-1990s, you probably remember using a word that feels almost forgotten today: "boring."

We said it often. But here's the thing—we didn't stay there. The moment we declared something boring, we immediately started looking for a way out. We didn't sulk. We acted. We pulled out board games, challenged each other to rock-paper-scissors, cut paper into shapes, drew, painted, or simply walked over to a friend's house to chat.

No gadgets. No screens.

We were either playing, socialising, or creating something with our own hands.

That word "boring" was just a quick verbal complaint. But beneath it, our inner voice was saying, "Come on, let's do something."

Fast forward to today. That word is barely used anymore. Why? Because a smartphone in your hand keeps you occupied every waking moment. Sure, reading isn't bad. But most of the time, it's endless reels—content that detaches us from real life. The present generation rarely feels bored. And precisely because they don't feel bored, they never experience what we did: boredom as a trigger for life skills.

In the past, boredom was a kingdom.

Your terrace, your veranda, your balcony, or your room—that was your land. The one child who brought a board game became the king. The rest became ministers and soldiers. What started as boredom turned into strategy, negotiation, laughter, and creativity. It was a life skills workshop in disguise.

 

 

But today?

We are enslaved by a handheld device. It's slowly eroding our ability to socialise, to imagine, to make things from scratch. We are busy—but not productive. We are occupied—but not truly engaged.

So, here's a small challenge:

Occasionally, step away from your mobile. Let boredom find you again. Sit with it. Feel it. And then watch what happens—because boredom was never the enemy. It was the hidden doorway to a kingdom you built yourself.

M.L. Narendra Kumar