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When a moment of boredom arises, we have become accustomed to making it go away by searching for something—sometimes anything—on our phones. The next step is to take the same moment and respond by searching within ourselves. To do this, we have to cultivate the self as a resource. Beginning with the capacity for solitude.
~Sherry Turkle, in Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age
It starts with us adults, right? Here’s another mini-challenge to try this week:
The next time we are waiting in line, waiting to pick up a child, waiting for an appointment, or during any other moment of “life’s boring bits,” let’s try to resist the urge to get our phone out to check email or Facebook. Sit. Think. Be. Reflect and have a conversation with yourself. It’s harder than it sounds, but we will be developing the capacity for solitude and self-reflection.
Let’s be okay with being bored sometimes, and help nurture this in our kids as well. Here are two more quotes (of many!) from the book on this topic that are worth sharing:
