Has anyone noticed that the attention span that one has decreases considerably over the years? I mean the tolerance level for the mundane and routine drops significantly as life goes on... actually as I say this, I realise that it may not be entirely true (not for nothing do they say 'the young and restless'), but I still find that the time-span between the statements "God, I need a break!" and "I need a change" are gradually decreasing over the years, especially in my case!
Take for instance the fact that I just took a break 2 weeks back, a very relaxing one, and had some time off for myself... but again, within such a short span of time, I am beginning to feel restless again! I don't feel like putting my mind to routine things anymore, and boredom seems to be setting in quite fast!
I wonder if this is a common thing amongst my peer group too.. I have a feeling that the years of over-exposure to fast-food, cable tv and internet have made us weary of spending 'quiet time' with ourselves... most of us are constantly seeking external modes of entertainment and can't sit quietly, alone with ourselves for even a little time.. we require either an sms, a call, tv, food, sleep or some distraction to keep us from strangling ourselves!
Similarly, very few lucky ones get to do real interesting work in their jobs, and that too consistently over a period of time.. I used to be one of those who enjoyed my work immensely, and you would never hear me crib about work when with friends or at home etc.. I truly liked my job.. but now, am getting little bored.. work is good and nothing wrong with it per se.. but still, the attention span has reduced, and the same thing which I would find interesting yesterday, I am getting bored of it today... so that has a lot to do with my current state of mind of boredom seeping in every 15 days! Pls be assured this is not a post about my job.. the point of mentioning the above is to analyse why I feel the need to "get away" so often these days.. is it what I do from day-to-day, either at work or at home, or is it that the number of exciting things left in life decreases as you see more and more of the world?!
Wait a min, did I say the number of surprises in life becomes less? No, that can't be true.. there is just so much to see and feel and experience in this world that it would possibly take more than one lifetime to enjoy all of it!
I attended a talk by my Guru yesterday, and a student asked him during the Q & A session "How do I concentrate on my studies/work?"... and he said this "If we feel entertained enough, we will be able to concentrate better.. if we feel that we have not had enough entertainment yet, then we will seek more of it and then our minds will not be applied to the task at hand"... maybe this is the problem.. we are seeking out entertainment in every minute of our lives, so as soon as there is repetition or lack of amusement, we tend to go in search of more distractions.. I guess thats a reason why people drink? I dont know coz I dont drink (my "drinking" is restricted to bacardi breezers!), but this is just a guess... that we want to get away from our day to day existence.. always wanting to 'get away' from something.. or maybe this is why people job-hop so much nowadays.. running running runnining from either ourselves or the "commonness" of our lives?! What are we looking for? Is there is a motive to our actions or are we living our lives drifting in search of distractions?!
Hmmm.. well am feeling a little less bored after writing this post, coz its sprung up all these impossible questions in my head and I will entertain myself thinking about the unknown (or I don't want to know?!) answers... but it's just a matter of couple of more days! :-))
P.S: Pls note that this post is not written as a complaint about either job, life or my cable tv... I am just reminiscing why I think we (of what I have observed of myself and my friends/colleagues etc) are beginning to get bored faster and faster.. and ofcourse opinions expressed our purely my own and no one else is responsible for this nonsense!
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19 comments:
"If we feel entertained enough, we will be able to concentrate better.. if we feel that we have not had enough entertainment yet, then we will seek more of it and then our minds will not be applied to the task at hand".........
Only if somebody can tell how to achieve that state of enuough entertainment !!
I think while we are busy doing a particular task at hand , our mind is constantly thinking about other alternatives , other possibilities , constant comparisons , evaluation of situations and all this prevents us from concentrating on or enjoying whatever we are doing ....and hence the boredom and the need to run away from it .Or may be we remain in this state till we get what we actually want in life ( which is not easy ..normally takes the entire lifetime.... as more experienced people say ).......Or may be life has so many surprises , so many good things that we get greedy and want to experience it all in our lifetime ..hence the restlessness .
But while i say this i must also say that i know quite a lot of people who are mostly content with whatever they get or do in life and never feel bored ...but seriously i am amazed at this set of people !!
1. I think the attention of children are the shortest..then it increases and peaks sometime in school and stays there/drops off depending on individual and interest. but by the time we're in jobs it definitely has plummeted..
2. most ppl start drinking out of curiosity, have it again to pass time with friends out of few better things to do, and then in some cases it goes on to become a force of habit. but company is a big factor. only chronic drinkers can drink alone. most drinkers need someone to drink with. and not always can drinking spiral out of control even when indulged in regularly.
3. people have a threshold capacity for the regular and it obviously varies. some ppl easily get bored and need new challenges. thats wy travellers make bad family men cos they can't remain confined to their houses no matter how doting a family they've got. what also comes into play is the time of day. like more often than not a certain period of every day evokes a more acute sense of boredom.
4. catharsis is very important. there has to be something to fall back on. like bloggers blog and there's a temporary high immediately after the last post. its a form of adrenaline shot. thats also how and why in some cases hobbies change into professions with time.
5. I've questions of my own too..does one get bored when he builds his own house? can u get bored of teaching a kid?
6. following the disclaimer policy let me announce that Ruchika's comments are entirely her own and if anyone thinks this post is a complaint against her job, life, or cable tv then he or she needs a break.
I'm guessing this IS a thought-provoking post, hence the long responses! :-)
`shilpi
You know I am a person who can concentrate on something I put my mind to very well... but I need to have a motive, some light at the end of the tunnel.. like I studied with concentration becoz I wanted to do well in the exams, or I worked hard during my MBA for a good job etc etc.. I think when you dont know what you want either, then its more difficult to concentrate!
And contented people are lucky, or perhaps they've worked hard at getting that contentment!
`satyajit
1. yes, totally agreed. that there is a cycle to attention span related with age.. wow, i feel old! hehehe!
2. yes unfortunately i think it starts like an innocent social thing and then becomes a habit.. i guess the feeling of a high is liked becoz it helps you escape the mundane for a while?
3. and 4. Point!
5. Good question.. when we have a motive, we are probably not going to get bored.. I dont know about teaching kids though, but dont you think a history teacher for eg. would get bored of teaching the same history again and again!
6. Naaah.. no one thinks so! :-))
This my step father used to accuse me of being "an entertainment monger."
Now, entertainment makes life shorter so I would rather just sit and cuddle my babies...
Until the next minute anyway.
"we are seeking out entertainment in every minute of our lives, so as soon as there is repetition or lack of amusement, we tend to go in search of more distractions.. I guess thats a reason why people drink? "---Are the boozers listening ???? :-))
questionz buzzing inside is just wat keeps the ball rolling! the fuel of life egging u to walk that extra mile.. for wat? hmm... mite be just any tangible, intangible... mite be sum dreamz, sum wishes, sum emotionz.. a house, a car, award, anything.. thatz perspective.. wat we wannn.. sadly in this generalization of democracy the finer aspects of life get rubbed off n then its all those rat races we are supposed to win! n then the soul is stretched, tired n the beer bottles make us 'comfortably numb' :)
don get bored.. cause don give up the chase.. keep the hope, the opium of life n get all that u wud want.. aint no alcohol needed then :)
i was born impatient so hehe.. dunno if the fat life has added on to that but sure, has made it tough to keep faith in the goodness of humanity.. still i do try !
`echo
yup, thats the attention span problem! :-)
`manish
I cant say for sure, and note that thats A reason, not THE reason I think people drink! :-))
`der bergwind
yes, i suppose if i had a concrete target, I would look forward to it and not get bored on the way... but without that, i find myself drifting from one space to another, one event to another, one holiday to another.. there's got to be more in the in-betweens to make life more fulfilling!!
yeah...guess the disclaimer was for ur HR guys ;) thats if they happen to pass by:)
ruchika, i guess the attention span thingi is a natural phenomena..maybe we see infinite possibilities everywhere we see...but again having said that, somewhere i guess we have to be consistent :) just find the right musing, i suppose...cheers:)
I started reading this blog of yours. Midway got distracted by a friend who came online on MSN.
After a brief chat, started reading again. Midway went and switched on TV to check if the ODI is being telecast.
Finally came back to finish reading ur blog while simultaneously checking my Orkut scraps. Talk about my "attention span" !!!!
P.s : I am not commenting on ur post, just telling you how my Attention Span has diminished with the availability of 24 hrs entertainment.
cheer up girl!
`dewaker
yes, working towards a goal will help reduce other distractions.. true..
`vinay
hehehe.. point taken! I rest my case! :-))
`white forest
oh i will.. its just a matter of a few days (i hope!)
I was appreciating the fact that you gave them atleast one reason to drink :-))
Ironically, no attention span problems while reading your blog!!! :) Cheers!
`manish
oh well, everyone needs a chance to justify their behaviour! ;-))
`Z
hehehe.. cool.. perhaps due to the length more than the content! hehehe..
i agree... First thing that comes to mind on a monday morning is that the next weekend is 5 days away.
so true!! i used to be such a patient person and now iv bcom so impatient and fidgety...dont noe when the transformation happened..but it did!
there's just a feeling of wanting more...and it doesnt go away.. not jus more materialistic things...more satisfaction, more happiness..everything..
`lifeasithappens
yes, objectivity is the great advantage you have in my life! :-)
`manish
yeah! mon tue i think of the last weekend, wed i dont know what to do and thu fri i think of the next weekend!
`neha
yup, as we see more of life, the number of 'new' experiences reduces... so its harder to keep ourselves entertained!
nice post..but what i found most interesting..coz i could identify with it is ..that writing often throws so many questions in ur head..u may never really arrive at the answers but its great to ponder over them...
`shantanu
totally agreed... self-instrospection usually does not lead anywhere, but the fact that you do it, that you can do it, and are willing to look at yourself objectively is what counts..
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