"Here is how to make a child bored: first and foremost, keep him indoors so that the infinitude of nature, its endless variation and chaotic messiness is replaced by a finite, orderly, predictable realm. Second, through television and video games, habituate him to intense stimuli so that everything else seems boring by comparison. Third, eliminate as much as possible any unstructured time with other children, so that he loses his capacity for creative play and needs entertainment instead. Fourth, shorten his attention span with fast-paced programming, dumbed-down books, and frequent interruptions of his play. Fifth, hover over him whenever possible to stunt his self-trust and make him dependent on outside stimulation. Sixth, hurry him from activity to activity to create anxiety about time and eliminate the easy sense of timelessness native to the young." [Charles Eisenstein]
Charles Eisenstein is a writer, speaker, and the author of The Ascent of Humanity and other books. He also maintains a blog at: www.ascentofhumanity.blogspot.com
Thank you to blogger and educator Daniel Bigler for sharing this thought-provoking quote on his blog: www.danielsaurus.com
Thanks for this blog! You have made my day a bunch of times in the last 24 hours.
ReplyDeleteHi Janet,
DeleteObviously I haven't posted, shared or checked comments on my blog in a very long time! Thank you so much for your appreciation of my blog and I am glad I helped make one of the 24-hours in your life a bit more inspiring and/or fun! Look for more posts soon. I have such a backlog of nearly finished drafts coming your way in the next few weeks! Play on, Mia
I really enjoyed this recipe for boredom. Would you mind if I shared this with my fellow classmates. We are all enrolled in Early Childhood Learning at Grant MacEwan University and I think they would get a kick out of this.
ReplyDeleteHey there Barb! Thank you for your comment. Huge apologies for not getting back to until almost a year later! Haven't blogged or checked my account for comments in ages, clearly! I hope you did share the "recipe for boredom" with you classmates and if not, share away now as you wish! Best of luck with your studies and, if you have graduated in the meantime, then "Way to go, lady!" Play on!
DeleteI agree with this blog, It's important to encourage your child to play with other children and not to rely on television and video games. I would like to take this opportunity to promote debutots, debutots is a unique blend of interactive storytelling and dramatic play for 6 months to 7 years. In exploring our stories vocally and physically we facilitate children's literacy and communication development. They speak, listen, imagine, observe and do. http://www.debutots.co.uk/
ReplyDeleteHi Jo! No sure how I missed your comment on my blog! Your website looks brilliant. What would life be with out play and stories, eh? Play on!
DeleteMeaningful blog. see our Early Childhood Learning & it's importance .
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