BOREDOMYOUR ENEMY WITHIN

Aldous Huxley says: Every man who knows how to read has in him, the power to magnify himself,
to multiply the ways in which he exists, to make his life full, significant and interesting.

Many talented young men are crushed y a load of unworthiness that goes on accumulating ecause
they make no effort to shatter self!imposed feeling of ennui.

"oredom comes from lack of interest in the world around you. #he world is fascinating, afflingly. $et,
you go aout life as if there is nothing interesting in it. %o wonder, you are ored. &hen you are
ored, you lash for something to happen. $ou are like a person standing at the road!crossing waiting
for an accident to happen'

&hen it happens oredom disappears. (uppose you are sitting home, doing nothing. $ou yawn. $ou
look at a maga)ine, flick through the pages, and toss it away. * sure sign that you are ored. $ou
have nothing at hand which can e called interesting.

%ow, switch the scene. (uddenly, you get a call from a friend who invites you to watch a movie in
which you are also interested. $ou are galvanised. #ransformed. %o more yawning. $ou are virant,
full of vitality. $ou dress up, perfume yourself and hot!foot go to +oin your friend.

How has this transformation taken place, $ou have found something which interests you, and has
stirred your heart!strings. $ou get a kick.

Many youngsters, having a heap of money to throw away, are ored. #hey have nothing to interest
them. #he troule with them is oredom. Hence, they go aout doing rash driving, ashing anyone
coming their way. #hey want something to happen. * happening creates interest. -epressed at
having nothing to do, youngsters ecome delin.uent. #he oy rooding for hours in his house, takes
his father/s revolver, fires at his own friend, and kills him. 0nnocent ut fatal. 1esult of oredom'

#he canker of oredom has entered into the lives of every segment of society. *ttitudes to life/s
activity have een affected. 2eople who flock to vanity fairs, women who converge at kitty parties,
youth who dance and drink at discos think that their life has nothing worthwhile or interesting to offer.

$oungsters are ored ecause their inherent powers are not eing utilised. 0f they give their mind,
imagination, their power of oservation, something to occupy them, will anish the idea that life is a
ig ore.

#he reality is that life is not bore, it is more. 0f it is so, there must e something else to it, and that is
your own self, your outlook, your attitude which cries out for fulfilment

$oungsters are ored ecause they come up against something or other, and make no effort to get rid
of it y going to the pit of it.

$ou come up to a difficult word. -o you go to the dictionary to get its meaning,

-ora *lert says, 3nless you talk to your next door neighour, you will never find out what makes
him tick. 0 am fully convinced that if you find someone uninteresting, it may e ecause of some
emptiness in you.

%othing is lost upon a man who is ent on growth. %othing is wasted if you are ever preparing
yourself for a career or etter +o. $ou gain manifold if you keep your eyes open, mind eager like a
sponge for experiences and opportunities.

&hat we must do is to find ways of helping ourselves to develop mental .ualities so that life ecomes
exciting, like %ewton at the sea!shore, picking eautiful peles.

#he prolem of oredom revolves around the life purpose, career and once you have faced this issue
many things fall into place.

-uring leisure hours, numerous talents can e used, oth for enriching your own mind and giving
enlightenment to others.

Each person has some talent ut until he knows himself he will not e ale to use the gift in the est
possile way. *nil 4umle started his career as a pace owler ut found his forte was spin.

#he use or misuse of talent depends upon having an aim in life, and this in turn uncoils the springs of
inspiration.

$ou need to discard this idea that you are merely a cog in a machine which remains an impersonal
force working without rhyme or reason.

1ecognise yourself as an individual for creative work. 0n fact, every one has a wonderful power
waiting to e tapped. "ut eware of those who have time ut do not know how to use it. #hese
chronophages come to you, sponge on your time and leave. $ou are the loser. $ou ecome ored,
tired, listless.

$ou are not a root. $our mind is constructive. 0t must ecome a hait, now that leisure time is giving
you the freedom to choose your own pursuits.

#he computer age demands a greater sense of personal responsiility for without the right ideals,
creative energies degenerate into mere time!killing amusements which are endured instead of eing
en+oyed.

$ou have to train yourself in searching out the riches of your mind. $ou need to immerse in something
greater than your own self efore you can adopt positive viewpoints or ecome inspired. 2oet 5ohn
4eats did not let 6annys re+ection dampen his poetic aspirations. He delved deeper into his self and
discovered a wealth of creative forces.

"oredom is a terrile affliction ecause those suffering from it have never learnt to look eyond
themselves. #hey sink, without diving and exploring. #hey remain wrapped up in mental cocoons.
#hey fail to develop asoring hoies, and are depressed.

&hat happens when ored minds seek outlets for their energies, -rinking, eve!tensing and
vandalism is, of course, one. "ut if this energy is directed in constuctive action, you gain from it.
Hoies and sports are important. #his is why etter road systems, national parks, playing fields,
centres and reserves are essential.

$ou can change y seeking out hidden talents. &hat aout the local lirary, museum, art centre,
some history society, clu, group where all interaction is possile,

0t is never too late to start out along new lines. #here is no su+ect which will not yield a fascinating
series of discoveries provided you are eager to find out all you can aout a particular su+ect.

1ukhsar complaints that she has no talent, ut the mere action of oserving and thinking aout things
in a positive manner is sufficient in itself to enale her to spur her. (he is my student. 0 told her that
she could +ump over her douts, and set aout the task of getting the results she aspires. (he
improved her grades in the following examination.

7reativeness comes when the mind responds to a challenge. &hen ideas plus enthusiasm ecome a
driving force, they drive away oredom.

#he ored mind is restless during leisure hours, and never stays at one su+ect for very long, ut flirts
in aimless fashion.

0t is an excellent idea to do things which comine outdoor pursuits and indoor interests like stamp
collecting, reading good literature, studying science or listening to inspiring music.

1a+ 4apoor could play fourteen musical instruments. 5ohn -alton, the chemist who formulated the
atomic theory, was fond of playing guitar.

8ladstone took pleasure in studying Homer. *lert Einstein en+oyed music and playing his violin,
while (ir &inston 7hurchill liked to paint and compile histories.

9ord "rougham remarked: "lessed is the man that hath a hoy.

&ithout a hoy one lives in a mental vacuum where fears and phoias take control of idle thoughts.
2eople unale to take advantage of leisure time pursuits ecome glum and gloomy. #heir life is a
nightmare of frustration.

7ultivate interests. 3seful information helps us. More is re.uired than reading newspapers and
watching television. 3nless you widen your mental hori)on, oredom is ound to trail you.

&hat aout talents neglected during college, Many liked sketching, music, natural history, drama,
geology, along with numerous other su+ects, ut somehow these were discarded when you egan
+o hunting.

&hy not re!discover such treasures and make them count at the present time,

&atch your emotions. $our attitude is governed y pyretic, fear, or hate. #hese recoil upon you, and
you feel tight inside which produces oredom.

8uard against the negative. (ustitute it with the positive. 0t is fun to realise that you are changing the
greatest machine god has made:human mind.