Silence, boredom can be tools that lead to deeper prayer, stir our spirit and wisdom

The Desert Fathers and Mothers were the first generation of Christian monks and nuns in the 300s. They left their lives in the cities throughout the Mediterranean and went to the Egyptian desert to dedicate themselves to a life of prayer and solitude.

They discovered, however, that sitting alone in their room (called a “cell”) left them alone with their thoughts. Their thoughts might just be distractions from prayer, but their thoughts could also reveal parts of their personalities they might rather hide from. By powering through distraction with deeper prayer and attention to their own hearts, they could more truly connect with God — and with each other, when they came together for community worship.

Abba Moses, one of the Desert Fathers, was reported to have said, “Go, sit in your cell, and it will teach you everything.” The Desert Fathers and Mothers learned that being alone and abstaining from distraction was painfully difficult, but it was a sure road to self-understanding and deeper prayer. Boredom became a powerful tool.

In our modern age, we find it easy to be distracted. Endless amusements, articles, devices and games can be found at our fingertips. The second that we fear that boredom might be approaching, we can distract ourselves in ways unimagined by our ancestors. We might convince ourselves that we are staying connected and staying informed, but let’s be honest: Boredom is the threat we most fear. No article or personality test is too silly, and no internet comment too absurd for us to interact with, as long as we are saved from boredom.

In the stresses of this lengthy pandemic, boredom is even more acute. We find it harder to hang out with people, and eventually social media runs out of things to display to our eager eyeballs. Staying home becomes a loathsome feeling. We need to have some kind of productive project, or watch that one show, or lose ourselves in the echo chamber of the internet to justify being at home. Or else we refuse to stay home, angry at any restriction to protect the health of others because we are left with few distractions.

It is no wonder that Blaise Pascal, that clever thinker, once quipped, “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” We seek distractions from the world, from ourselves.

What if we took a lesson from the Desert Fathers and Mothers and embraced the boredom? What if we let silence make the waters of our heart sit still, and let things float up from the depths? We might learn about ourselves! We might learn how to be by ourselves, to enjoy true solitude.

What if we let ourselves be bored? How often have I heard the complaint that “children these days don’t know how to be bored”? Well, dear adults, can you? Children make up games, and in so doing they discover their interests and abilities. Child psychology has shown that children also use games and playtime to try to make sense of what’s going on in their lives. But they need unstructured, undistracted time to do these things.

Spend time in silence. Take time to pray what is truly on your heart — and go deep into your spirit, even the difficult parts. Let your inner child make up a game or activity and see where that takes you. Put down your phone. Let boredom teach you.