The Gay Science - Favorite Aphorisms
42 - Boredom is that disagreeable 'lull' of the soul that precedes a happy voyage and cheerful winds. Here Nietzsche is referring to the need for boredom in artists and inventive spirits and how they are distinguished by the modern worker in the sense that they do not see 'work' as a means to an end but rather they see work as the end in itself. Therefore these types of individuals can spend long periods of time where they rather be bored than to 'work' at something they do not find pleasure in. Nietzsche states that this state of boredom is not only an effect of the pursuit of pleasurable work but it is in fact necessary in order to produce high quality result in their interests. I found this quote to be extremely relatable especially during the Covid Pandemic as I was, like many other people, holed up in my house for the greater part of a year, while this whole ordeal was extremely boring and uneventful it served the same purpose as years of video games did...