Boredom as a Tool 🪾

LIFE ON URTH - Episode 088

The Hunt

Because his brother had been injured during the hunt the day before, he was out alone today. He had left the camp before sunrise, spear over his shoulder, his breath visible in the cold air. The ground was frozen hard, the grass gray and brittle. A time between times.

At the edge of the plain, he stopped. At this time of year, a small reindeer herd usually passed through here. The tracks in the ground provedthat. But now the plain lay still before him. No rustling. No dark shape in the distance. Only wind.

He waited.

His shoulders were tense, his gaze wide. Again and again, his weight shifted from one foot to the other. His eyes scanned the horizon as they had done a thousand times before. But there was nothing for them to hold on to.

After a while, he sat down. He watched the birds flying lower than usual. He didn’t know what that meant. Maybe nothing at all. He picked up a dry branch, broke it, and shaped it with slow movements. From pine cones, bark, and a bit of string, a small figure emerged—for his wife. Then he made another.

Time stretched. The wind stayed the same. His body never fully relaxed. Attention began to observe itself.

Eventually, he stood up again. Not from hunger. Not from fear. He simply couldn’t stay here any longer.

He took his spear, cast one last look over the empty plain, and moved on.

Behind him, the place remained, still, without fault—but also without use.

Boredom as a Tool

The plain was not dangerous, and yet the hunter moved on. He had done nothing wrong. His boredom was not a sign of weakness. It was a signal.

Feelings are not comments on our worth. They are evolutionary short commands—rough, fast hints that help us move through an overwhelmingly complex world.

Fear says: Danger—withdraw.
Pain says: Protection—change something immediately.
Curiosity says: Unknown—explore.
And boredom says: Nothing relevant is happening here right now.

Nothing more. No judgment. No morality. No explanation.

In today’s world, however, this simple signal is often mistranslated. Boredom appears—and immediately another voice speaks up. The inner critic begins to talk and puts words into the feeling’s mouth that don’t belong to it:

You’re undisciplined.
You’re not using your time well enough.
You should be more productive.

But that is not the language of boredom. That is the language of evaluation.

The critic tries to create order and stability. It wants to fill, structure, push. Boredom, by contrast, opens space. And that is precisely what makes it so hard for the critic to tolerate.

Historically, this space could be dangerous. Anyone who remained inactive for too long risked hunger, exclusion, or worse. Boredom evolved to prevent stagnation and to demand changes essential for survival.

Today, we live in a different world:

We do not starve if we sit still for a while. We are not excluded from the community. We are safe.

The feeling is old. The context is new. And through the constant stimulation of digital media, our system is also completely miscalibrated. Boredom no longer arises only after hours of waiting in the same place for prey, but after ten seconds in a supermarket line or at a red traffic light.

And yet, this is precisely where an opportunity lies: we can repurpose boredom.

No longer as a command to act immediately, but as a bodily notification that space is available. Space for attention. Space for curiosity. Space for a “purposeless” pause.

The hunter first watched the birds, then began to craft. Not to be efficient. Not to reach a goal. It happened because nothing else was happening. Creativity is often a byproduct of free space.

This space is uncomfortable—because that once made evolutionary sense. But it is not dangerous.

Boredom does not have to be filled immediately. It can be allowed. And it is often most helpful precisely when we allow ourselves to ignore the inner critic for a moment.

Exercise: Gently observe how boredom shows up the next time you’re standing in a line or have to wait somewhere.

What thoughts arise?For example: Why is this taking so long?

What impulses arise?
For example: Checking your phone.

Remind yourself that you are safe—and that boredom is not signaling any real danger right now. Then look around with curiosity and notice details in your surroundings that you would otherwise miss. There is always something interesting to discover, everywhere.

✒️ Quote of the Week: “When you come to see you are not as wise today as you thought you were yesterday, you are wiser today.” -Anthony De Mello

🎧 Song of the Week: Hällas - Bestiaus

📺 Video of the Week: The Most Dangerous Mindset I See as a Therapist

I want to expand this newsletter's format by responding to reader comments and questions.
Of course, I’ll need some comments and questions first 😂 So I’d love to hear from you!

Did something in my writing catch your attention?
Was there an idea you found particularly intriguing?
Or is there a question that’s been on your mind related to these topics?

Just reply to this email or write to me at mail@urth.blog 👈

Prefer reading in German?
Click here 👇

Change my subscription to German

All the best,

Adrian / Urth

Can’t wait until next week’s edition? Check out my essays.