Being bored is a thing of the past. Sitting on a long bus ride? Play a video game. Bored in class? Watch a Youtube video. Can’t fall asleep? Scroll on Tiktok until your eyes can’t stay open. With so many sources of entertainment out there, there’s no reason to just sit around anymore. Looking around feels creepy, and so does spacing out. So why do nothing when you can do something?

I’m a victim of it too, more than I’m willing to admit. I find myself checking my phone every minute, looking for a new notification or a new activity to occupy myself. I can’t seem to just sit still, count sheep, or take in the views through the bus window. Boredom used to be the space for half-developed ideas, observations about the world, and daydreams that became reality. Losing that space means we lose time to think. Our originality and creativity are disappearing alongside our boredom. 

How can we question things or learn anything new if we don't have a minute to spare? 

We don’t even know how starved we are for silence until we finally find some. 

For me, Shabbat provides that time to think. I have no other choice but to read a book, spend time with others, or just take a moment to reflect on the week. My best ideas come to me on Shabbat. I think it’s one of the biggest gifts we have. I just wish there was more of it. 

In the spirit of challenging myself to learn more and think better, and as someone who takes many, many long bus rides, I’m taking it upon myself to take a break from my screens for at least two thirty-minute bus rides a week. After all, Isaac Newton came up with gravity while just relaxing under an apple tree. Who knows what we could come up with if we just took a moment to sit in the sun and think?

And of course, once you come up with your questions or brilliant new ideas, you can use A.I. to develop them into something extraordinary. Use your resources, but remember that the world around you is just as much a resource as the information on your screen. Take it in, and let me know what you find. 

Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is nothing at all. 

The Thought Edit follows my experiment in designing a personalized, AI-guided education. Along the way, I explore bigger questions about how we learn, think, and stay human in a rapidly changing world.