The reason that children are perennially bored is not that there aren’t entertainment options available—they’re often surrounded by toys and games—but that they have such short attention spans. They play with one thing for a little bit and then another, and then don’t know what else to do. The educated man is able to lose himself in a task, a hobby, a conversation, or a book because he has developed his powers of focus and concentration.
I remember one summer when a teenager was going door-to-door soliciting funds for some program (that I’d never heard of) so he wouldn’t be bored and turn to a life of crime. His words. I started listing all the stuff I already paid taxes for to ensure he’s not bored: libraries, parks, museums, summer classes at the parks like golf. I listed some local church summer activities I knew of. How he could have been bored escaped me. I asked about his hobbies (he had none). Pitiful.
Later I looked up this program… it was under investigation by the state attorney general for fraud.
Source: 3 Characteristics of an Educated Person | The Art of Manliness
