I Have Something to Say Anna Quindlen wrote an article called Doing Nothing is Something, and in it she reflects upon boredom in children, and how it affects them. In my earlier years I recall that when I was bored, I would make up a game to keep myself entertained. In the article, Quindlen emphasizes the importance boredom plays on creativity. She argues that being bored allows for a state of being able to produce original ideas, and this state doesn’t exist while participating in activity. The children of todays’ generation are growing up in a fast paced society that never seems to stop. Parents today have schedules that are so overbooked that parenting time becomes scarce. Therefore, their children must participate in
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Boredom is time to think about how one is going to stop being bored, and this brings forth new goals and thoughts that have never existed before that moment. Just as Quindlen points out, there is a problem when it comes to technology in this day and age, and it’s that technology is replacing boredom with constantly having something to do. There are thousands upon thousands of apps, video games, computer games, social media, and movies and shows that are all seeking attention and requiring no original thought. This is the tool many parents use to occupy their children, considering they will be quiet, and not get into trouble. However, that screen turns off the creativity, and creates a vicarious experience, where one is no longer participating in their own life. The best part of the article is when she says that technology can be turned off. She, 20 years ago, probably foresaw the problems we are having in todays’ society, and she addressed a solution, just turn it off. If the technology is turned off, the children will be upset, but eventually they will find a way to entertain themselves. I know my mother regulated my video game usage as a child, and I know I was rather livid. I wanted and craved the vicarious experience brought forth from video games, but I was missing out on real life. My mother would turn off the ps2, and I would have to find something to do. I see now how beneficial that was and I thank
Boredom is time to think about how one is going to stop being bored, and this brings forth new goals and thoughts that have never existed before that moment. Just as Quindlen points out, there is a problem when it comes to technology in this day and age, and it’s that technology is replacing boredom with constantly having something to do. There are thousands upon thousands of apps, video games, computer games, social media, and movies and shows that are all seeking attention and requiring no original thought. This is the tool many parents use to occupy their children, considering they will be quiet, and not get into trouble. However, that screen turns off the creativity, and creates a vicarious experience, where one is no longer participating in their own life. The best part of the article is when she says that technology can be turned off. She, 20 years ago, probably foresaw the problems we are having in todays’ society, and she addressed a solution, just turn it off. If the technology is turned off, the children will be upset, but eventually they will find a way to entertain themselves. I know my mother regulated my video game usage as a child, and I know I was rather livid. I wanted and craved the vicarious experience brought forth from video games, but I was missing out on real life. My mother would turn off the ps2, and I would have to find something to do. I see now how beneficial that was and I thank