Things That Exist But Shouldn't - Part 15

15) Boredom

When I was a kid, my mom made me pay a nickel every time I said "I'm bored." 
To her, being bored was unfathomable, seeing as how many puzzles/crafts/activities I had at my disposal. Between my extensive Play Doh collection and countless Fisher Price playsets, it was not physically possible for me to be bored. I know this. (And this was even before the internet was allowed in our house!)

Nowadays, we have even more things to entertain ourselves with - smart phones, tablets, e-readers - and yet, nothing can seem to hold our attention.

Have you ever been mindlessly browsing Facebook and gotten so bored that you opened up a new tab to go on Facebook to entertain yourself, only to realize that Facebook was the source of your boredom in the first place?

I have. Multiple times.

I don't think this problem is unique to me, though.

Just a few days ago, I received this PureWow's weekly newsletter in my inbox. It highlighted what the amended FAA regulations will now mean for air travelers.

The article discusses activities we can now do during takeoff that were once prohibited. These include exciting things like listening to your iPod, playing Candy Crush on your phone, or reading.

I'M SORRY. WHAT?!

We can now read on the plane?! As if that wasn't an option before? They actually list "reading" as a now-possible activity. 

Let's rewind a second....AKA 6 years ago when the first Kindle came out. (Yes, it really is that recent.) Up until that point, people were actually reading from real books. Books that were never - and never will be - a prohibited item at any point of a flight.

Now, I love my technology and iProducts as much as the next traveler. But let's not forget to check back in with reality every so often and realize how many things we can do without something that requires charging.