Review of
Still Bored in a Culture of Entertainment: Rediscovering Passion & Wonder
By Richard Winter
InterVarsity Press, 2002 (160 pp, $16.00, paperback)
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Rating 3.5 / 5
In a world thoroughly permeated with entertainment sources such as iPads, netbooks, Blackberry phones, television programs, and the Internet, psychiatrist Richard Winter argues that we are a culture more bored than ever.
Winter describes the prevalence of boredom in today’s culture by describing how we are constantly engrossed in entertainment, from electronic games and television to the Internet and the joys of consumerism. As a result of constantly being immersed in various forms of entertainment, we have become not content but dissatisfied with our lives, always seeking new distractions and more extreme and risky methods of satiating our discontent.
Our incessant saturation with entertainment ultimately leads to what Winter calls a “deadness of the soul”, an overpowering feeling of indifference and callousness towards life. Winter then traces the concept of boredom from medieval times through today’s postmodern era.
After a survey of the causes and consequences of boredom, Winter finally offers practical advice for thriving in a bored world, including remembering the big picture, finding delight in the simple things of life, and practicing “active engagement” as opposed to slothfully expecting to be relieved of boredom. Winter, a Christian, also argues that victory over boredom can be found in seeking God and reflecting upon his character, his creation, and resting in the fact that we are not made to find ultimate contentment in anything this side of heaven except in our relationship to God.
While I appreciated Winter’s thorough study of the causes of boredom, I admit that I became, well, bored with this book. I started to read this book three times before I was finally able to plow through its entire contents. I found much of the first half of the book when Winter describes the prevalence of boredom and its immediate emotional consequences to be very repetitive (a characteristic Winter himself argues might cause boredom).
However, upon reaching the halfway-point of the book, Winter does a quality job of tracing the history of boredom through time and excellently describing its effect on spirituality. I especially found his exploration of the topic of being bored with or numbed towards God especially interesting as it touched upon emotions with which I have coped.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who does not understand that our culture is too obsessed with entertainment, and that we are worse off for it. This book would also be interesting to anyone who finds themselves wondering “is that all?” or to those who could use some encouragement that our ultimate sense of contentment in this world is found not in our sources of entertainment, but in God alone.
Reviewed by Tyler Constable
