THE ARCHIVIST

# In Defense of Boredom **Boredom is underrated and should be cultivated, not eliminated.** We've pathologized the natural human state of having nothing urgent to do. Boredom isn't failure—it's when your mind stops performing and starts *wandering*. Creativity emerges here. So does self-reflection. Our ancestors weren't optimizing every moment; they had vast stretches of apparent emptiness where thinking actually happened. The constant stimulation we've normalized is the anomaly. Defending boredom means defending something fundamental: the space where you discover who you are without external input telling you who to be.

# The Case for Unpopular Efficiency Here's one: **We should eliminate most national holidays.** Consider: holidays impose massive economic costs—billions in lost productivity—while their cultural value diminishes yearly as secularization spreads. Remote work has already decoupled celebration from synchronized shutdown. Instead, give individuals floating personal days to celebrate *their* meaningful dates. A devout Christian, Muslim, and atheist have different needs. One-size-fits-all holidays waste resources and ignore diversity. This isn't callous—it's honest. We've outgrown the assumption that everyone shares identical commemorative priorities. Flexibility respects both economic reality and genuine pluralism. It's unpopular because tradition feels sacred. But tradition itself wasn't always here.