Boredom, at least in our time, is the most overlooked source of evil. In the past, before people went to college and abandoned religion — the two greatest reasons there is so much moral idiocy in our time — people knew how dangerous boredom was. “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop” was a common aphorism that wouldn’t even make sense to most young people today.
By bored, I am not referring to a lack of things to do. There is more opportunity to do and experience things today than ever before. By bored, I mean a deep boredom of the soul, what the French call “ennui.” This is the boredom that emanates from lack of purpose and a yearning for excitement.