ENNUI
Written by James Ward
I don’t know what it is, maybe it’s to do with how grim the news is all the time. Maybe it’s a sense of being bombarded with stuff on social media all the time. Maybe it’s just something that happens as you get older.
I don’t know.
I just feel like I’m getting more and more cynical. Fewer and fewer things seem to excite me. I’m so much harder to impress than I used to be.
When I was younger, I’d see stuff all the time that would grab my attention and get me excited. Is it just the naivety of youth? Is it just that as you’re exposed to more stuff, you start to see echoes of the past in what once would have seemed original?
I genuinely don’t know what it is. I just feel a sense of emptiness or blankness. I just feel indifferent about everything.
Like I could win the lottery and it wouldn’t excite me. I’d just worry about all of the associated admin. Or I could be at a party chatting to someone and he could say that he used to be married to Angelina Jolie or something and even then I think that I’d have to say that it didn’t impress me much.
What about if they used to be married to Shania Twain?
I can relate though, It feels like I’m watching the world undo itself in slow motion.
Get your thyroid levels checked.
I’ve found the same to be painfully true, but I’ve been combating it with finding novel things to do, experience and think about — the different perspectives seem to break me out of my bubble and make things more interesting.
James,
Don’t let this happen.
The great thing about this blog — and I am using “great” in a literal sense, not just as a synonym for “pretty good” — is its fascination with the everyday. Your unique contribution has been not just finding interesting things interesting (anyone can do that) but, as the blog title suggests, finding boring things interesting. Go and look at some boring things. I bet you’ll find something interesting.
Really, you have a unique voice because you have a unique perspective.
I find listening to Jerry Lee Lewis records helps.
You might start with engaging with people (like on this blog) who care about you. Reply to their comments — more people would leave a message for you if you did.
So sorry to hear that. When I am in a similar rut, I find it helps to travel to a different place, whether it’s a country, county, or even a different neighborhood. When I get to experience a different culture or way of living, I notice the differences, and the small everyday things begin to excite me. That and staying away from Facebook, because that alone can make one cynical.