mono-tom (1)
part 1 of the ‘isn’t it surreal?’ series
No one consciously seeks monotony. On the opposite, we live immersed in the self-obligation of completing checklists. Nobody aspires to a tiring job — perhaps a remnant of animality in the human character, after all, in nature, each day is inevitably distinct from the other. The point is that we, humans, overflow beyond the animalistic question of survival, and venture into identical waves in the ocean of appearances.
Well, what is the point of acquiring new models and “unmissable” exclusivities? Well, to escape from monotony through physical appearance. A rabbit does not have the option of acquiring new shoes for its paws or a bow of flowers for its ears. It breaks the monotony, taken by its instincts, through survival. We, on the other hand, seek the material, demonstrable. We seek what, to the eyes of others, seems unique.
Schopenhauer discoursed about the cycle of boredom in his works, saying that we are always doomed to return to the inertial and immersive state of boredom.
Life is a constant oscillation between the yearning to have and the boredom to possess. — Arthur Schopenhauer
Although I understand, I depart from his thoughts at this point; I believe a man is never truly bored. He, in turn, is sporadically taken by periods of consciousness about the monotony he lives in. Perhaps this is the definition of boredom, that is, the man’s consciousness of finding themself in an indifferent, monotonous pattern, independent of the temporal count.
This, after all, is what newspapers and general media are based upon. Beyond the capitalist bonds of the communication industry, the search for an outlet to escape from monotony led to the legitimization of the necessity to “partake” in exclusive events, breaking the repetitiveness of those who read. A reader does not necessarily read to keep themself informed about what they already know. A reader reads to stimulate their own critical reasoning about unforeseen or abrupt events; to have what to talk about and to get out of the rudimentary tranquillity.
This reflection is not as disparaging as the Schopenhaurian analysis of behavior and boredom cycle. In fact, it is more of a holistic self-acknowledgment about creation, creativity, itself. A human creates, with the awareness that they create, but under an immediate social influence.
Under monotony, life does not fluctuate between pain and deep boredom. The man lives based on changes, breathes them, and yet is afraid of them. Fear not only for the changes, but also of the influences that hold them back. Therefore, surrounded by fear, they either drown in monotony, or flee to the ease of appearances to suffocate it.
