I continue to be amazed by the profundity of saintly people with a vision, and no axe to grind; these people see things for what they are, that we are portable versions of God or God in physical form or an aspect of God which can be  partly seen in physicality. The criterion for an absolute truth is that it should be simple to understand by every living being and this is about as clear as it gets. A great way to start the day (well, my day anyway).

Features of a boring person

Anyway, to our main topic of our discussion today. One of the topics that came up in myself and John’s rather anarchistic discussions were ‘what is the definition of a boring person?’ I think it is worth a deep dig.

What is the origin of the word ‘bore’?

From 1778, “thing which causes ennui or annoyance by dullness;” earlier “state of boredom, fit of listless disgust” (1766); of persons who cause boredom by 1812; usually said to be a figurative extension of bore (v.1) on the notion of “move forward slowly and persistently,” as a boring tool does, but OED has doubts and early evidence suggests a French connection.

Le secret d’ennuyer est celui de tout dire (The secret of being a bore is to tell everything) [Voltaire, “Sept Discours en Vers sur l’Homme,” 1738]

We also have a french equivalent which does not quite translate into English.

mal du siecle (n.)

by 1884, from French mal du sìecle, “world-weariness, atrophy of the spirit, aristocratic boredom, deep melancholy over the condition of the world,” supposedly a characteristic condition of young romantics in Europe in the early 19c. It answers to German Weltschmerz.

We are normally bored with boring people. The word boredom can be used when you yourself have nothing to do. ‘ I got bored waiting around for so and so to come’.

Off the top of my head, boring people have these characteristics: They are mainly interested in the themselves and the way they see the world, they go on and on about trivial subjects and their attitude is unvarying and predictable, if other people make recommendations as to how they could change, those recommendations are ignored, the boring person will not listen to you and simply wait while you are speaking for an appropriate trigger word which they will then use to jump in with a continuation of their own point of view.

Other types of people related to boring people are snobs. They really look down their nose at you and may regard you as a lesser being depending for example on the way you are dressed or some other characteristic of you. They think of themselves as being superior. Their superiority may or may not be their intellect. I have noticed that some of the kindest and most gracious people have been the ones with the greatest intellect but they do not flaunt it.

A characteristic of boring people is a person who always sees the negative side of things and a person who complains constantly. if the proposal, someone will think of a way why this is not a good idea.

Another characteristic is that if a person doesn’t know much about the topic, instead of joining with you in your inquiry or discussion, they remain impassive and unexpressive,  plus you could almost expect them to speak in a monotone.

Another type of irritating person is someone who at a social event looks over your shoulder in case they miss something else that is interesting. I don’t know whether it’s because they are bored with you or whether it’s just bad manners. Perhaps a bit of both.

Another type of boring person is there false chameleon-like attitudes. They will agree with someone wholeheartedly and then someone else will come along with a different opinion and they will agree as well. There are also what I call nice bores – they complement other people too much and say that everything is terrific.

A boring person cannot engage with you except on their own terms. I knew a radio ham once who spoke about nothing but he’s world of Long Distance radio communication. They have this great habit of turning topics around two soup themselves without having to go outside their safe territory.

Another type of boring person will tell the same old joke and stories time and time again and the poor partner has to suffer. This is basically due to living in the past and not meeting new people with a view to updating your ‘library of funny jokes’ for example.

Being German is no laughing matter

I find people without a sense of humor very boring and I frequently associate them with obsessive adherence to certain political causes.

How to avoid being boring

It may be that a bored or boring person is in with the wrong crowd. You cannot be the life and soul of a party if everyone else is interested in gardening except you.  Maybe the answer to being bored is to find a group with similar interests.

How about reading a book? Have 2 or 3 books on the go so you always have something fresh to talk about. Dont read to impress people but to form the basis of a back and forth conversation about something meaningful.

You have lost your sense of wonder and have become cynical.  Poor little me. Who loves me? What can I do that is useful for others.

You spend too much time on social media, recycling information at a down to earth level and trying to get ‘likes’ through venting your opinion.

You are too occupied with your own problems. You have been for ages. You dont have the incentive to break out and find someone who can assist you. In other words you have become introspective.

It may be that you are stuck in a comfort zone and it is just too comfortable.  Where and what is the challenge?   Is it not exciting to meet people who are involved in a challenge, for example to change an aspect of society or to make life more pleasant for someone else?

Some people may be boring because they are in a rut.  They are waiting for a life changing event that is not happening.

Famous Quotes

Let us see what famous (and not so famous) individuals have to say about boredom.

She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn’t boring.”
― Zelda Fitzgerald, The Collected Writings

“I would rather die of passion than of boredom.”
― Émile Zola, The Ladies’ Paradise

“I’m bored’ is a useless thing to say. I mean, you live in a great, big, vast world that you’ve seen none percent of. Even the inside of your own mind is endless; it goes on forever, inwardly, do you understand? The fact that you’re alive is amazing, so you don’t get to say ‘I’m bored.”
― Louis C.K.

“The truth is that everyone is bored, and devotes himself to cultivating habits.”
― Albert Camus, The Plague

“The writer’s curse is that even in solitude, no matter its duration, he never grows lonely or bored.”
― Criss Jami, Killosophy

“Boredom is the conviction that you can’t change … the shriek of unused capacities.”
― Saul Bellow, The Adventures of Augie March

“The price of being a sheep is boredom. The price of being a wolf is loneliness. Choose one or the other with great care.”
― Hugh MacLeod

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I think that will do for the moment. There is certainly more to boredom than meets the eye (or the brain at first glance). Good luck everyone. My tip is to annoy or stimulate at least one person each day preferably with an outrageous comment.