Cork Views: 'Being bored for a moment has become the enemy'

Having to wait for a reward is something that has been confined to the past.

Those of us of a certain age had to wait patiently for a new item of clothing, or until birthdays or Christmas, to receive a treat.

Not so any more. Instant gratification is what is expected, and this is evident in every aspect of modern life. We’re all guilty of it.

Take scrolling through social media or through the news feed on your phone as an example.

Our index finger skims over the headlines until we find something that intrigues us, we then read the first line or two to get the gist of the story, and then, far too often, we instantly get bored.

So, we start flicking again, past all the stuff that holds no interest, until the next exciting nugget catches our attention, and we might dedicate a few precious seconds of our time to reading the first paragraph or two. Then instantly back to chasing.

You might call it a high, you might call it a short attention span, you might also call it our inability to be bored for any length of time.

Being bored for even a moment has become the enemy. We avoid it at all costs, as though it is a failing, or is somehow dangerous for us.

It’s in every aspect of our lives.

Many no longer take the time to go to the shops to browse or to try on an outfit, this has become too time-consuming, so we download the apps and order what we want online.

The dopamine hit from treating yourself constantly is what is giving us this warped sense of pleasure.

Parcels arriving to your door with presents for you is a situation that has become addictive for many, and why wouldn’t it? You are receiving treats at the click of a button which give you a burst of happiness.

But what follows after that? A low? An anti-climax that needs to be eliminated?

Then there is our attitude to food.

We once prepped the dinner the evening before, we then went to the slow cooker, then the microwave, and now the air fryer.

Food needs to be instant. Whether it’s the chipper on the way home, or the delivery of every type of food you can imagine to your door with the click of a finger, we no longer wait to be fed.

And as a consequence, we are eating more over-processed food than could possibly be good for us.

Fear not! If your weight is pilling on, you no longer need to cut back and indulge in some healthy exercise, you can just inject yourself with chemicals instead that will reduce your appetite.

This, it is claimed, results in lower weight, but what have you learned? That you need not bother putting in any hard work to get results?

Nobody darns socks any more as they are as cheap as chips to replace.

Nobody polishes their shoes any more as they’re also replaceable at the click of a button.

Nobody saves up their money any more in order to pay for a luxury as everything that is desired can be put on a credit card.

Plastic-wrapped supermarket food is a far easier option than learning how to grow your own, or even understand the process.

What does this mean for the current and the next generations?

I’ve watched my teenager have a complete meltdown because the wi-fi is acting up. The power going off for the day for repairs is tantamount to the end of the world, and reading a book has become the last resort for a desperate person.

Attention spans are miniscule. Expectations are sky high.

We’re treating ourselves to online shopping while at the same time being drip-fed images from war-torn countries.

Is it really a wonder that levels of anxiety and depression are growing when we are constantly being fed a diet of equal parts pleasure and misery?

Is there another way?

Many are opting to turn off social media for a period of time, to try and get back to an equilibrium. Others are joining community allotments to try and get back to basics and find their pleasure in a job well done, seeking personal reward for personal effort.

Some of us are trying to wean ourselves away from the habit of flicking with their index finger. I’m back reading books in my spare time and leaving the phone out of reach. This has resulted in better sleep and less worry.

Instant gratification, be that from online shopping, food deliveries, medications, and the idea that there is something wrong with being bored, or sitting quietly with your own thoughts, has created unhappy, unsatisfied people.

Perhaps it is time for a rethink, and an awareness of what all the doom feeds are doing to our physical and mental wellbeing.