QUERY: “How is ‘authentic leisure’ related to ‘profound boredom’?” here’s a passage created using the Cut-Up Method in conjunction with my AI Hermes.†

In the intertwining narratives of Heidegger’s ‘profound boredom’ and Seneca’s concept of authentic leisure, we find a subtle yet profound connection. Profound boredom, as Heidegger suggests, is not merely a state of disinterest, but a fundamental mood revealing the nature of existence. It is in this state, where things are left empty, and we are held in limbo, that the sheer presence and absence of the world are disclosed. This kind of boredom is a retreat from the mundane, a withdrawal into the self, much like the Roman ideal of withdrawing into a peaceful harbor after enduring life’s storms.

In this retreat, profound boredom and authentic leisure intersect. Authentic leisure, as echoed in Roman Stoicism and Greek Cynicism–as well as other schools from India and China–is not idle inaction but a withdrawal into more significant works, a release into the realm of higher contemplation and self-discovery. It involves managing the comprehension of one’s own life rather than submitting to the preoccupation of external duties. This leisure is a time for oneself, a period of self-reflection and existential exploration, akin to Heidegger’s understanding of profound boredom as a state revealing our fundamental attunement to existence as possibility.

Thus, authentic leisure, in its deepest sense, is a response fromward profound boredom. It is in this space of leisure that one finds the opportunity to engage with the fundamental conditions of ordinary being (Dasein). Just as a storm-tossed individual seeks refuge in a harbor, so does the individual immersed in profound boredom seek refuge in leisure.

IMPORTANT! This leisure is not an escape but an embrace of a more profound existential reality, a journey into the depths of one’s ownmost being.

In essence, the relationship between profound boredom and authentic leisure is a dance between existential revelation and contemplative retreat. It is a journey into the depths of the self, where one finds not just rest from the external world but a deeper understanding and connection with the essence of their existence.

Within Karl Jaspers’ philosophy, we also can draw parallels between the concepts of profound boredom and authentic leisure from Jaspers’ emphasis on existential truths and the journey towards self-realization. Jaspers, much like Heidegger, delved deeply into the nature of everyday being and the existential conditions that shape human life. He posited that self-actualization (Existenz) emerges not from external observation, but from introspective exploration of our experiences within the ordinary lifeworld. This introspection is akin to the authentic leisure: One retreats from the external world’s demands (bracketing, EPOCHE) to engage in a deeper contemplation for self-discovery.

Jaspers’ notion of “ultimate boundaries” (“limit situations”) explores conceptually where individuals confront the definitive confines of human existence: those boundaries into which we find ourselves thrown by To-Be: e.g. guilt, struggle, suffering, chance, and death. These are definitive because they are within the experience of all human beings. But there are also the contingent boundaries, the ones not arising from To-Be but from human reactions within changing conditions. In my thinkering, I call these the “penultimate boundaries,” those we encounter as close by because they have been placed around us. Exploring the contingent to discover the necessities beneath through critical self-reflection resonates with the idea of profound boredom as a fundamental mood revealing the nature of existence.

Heidegger and Jaspers seek in their own way for an encounter with the raw essence of To-Be, an experience that transcends ordinary understanding (the extraordinary possibilities). Authentic leisure, then, becomes a conduit through which individuals can navigate these limit situations, transforming profound boredom from a state of existential paralysis to one of profound revelation and insight. The peaceful harbor of leisure serves as the existential ground for confronting and understanding these limit situations, allowing for a deeper engagement with the self and the essence of being.

In this existential framework, the relationship between profound boredom and authentic leisure becomes a vital process of self-exploration and understanding. The withdrawal into oneself, as advocated in authentic leisure, mirrors Jaspers’ idea of inward journeying to confront existential truths. It’s a process of turning inward to explore the depths of one’s being, to grapple with existential realities, and to emerge with a more profound understanding of oneself and one’s place in the world.

We also can turn to the thinking of José Ortega y Gasset for further exploration of why we should embrace our own “boredom.” Meditations on Hunting demonstrates a compelling fusion of the known and unknown to offer a perspective for engagements that resonate with the themes of profound boredom and authentic leisure.

For Ortega y Gasset, hunting offers an unexpected opportunity for philosophical engagement not merely a physical activity. Hunting reaches back to primal human aspects, an immersion into the authentic and fundamental experiences of life. The work aligns with Heidegger’s notion of profound boredom as an essential mood revealing deeper truths about being-in-the-world. In both instances, there is a move away from the superficial distractions of everyday life to confront more primary, elemental aspects of being. Hunting, in Ortega y Gasset’s view, is an act of stepping out of the ordinary for a deeper contemplation of living in a world that was already well under way when we first showed up. .

Furthermore, Ortega y Gasset’s notion of hunting aligns with the concept of authentic leisure discussed in the context of Jaspers’ philosophy. Hunting is portrayed as a leisure activity that is far from idle; it is an active engagement with life that demands full presence and consciousness. I have to be in the place in the time–I am must be present in order to be aware of all that is happening around me as I wait. Anyone who has gone hunting–whether by shooting arrows, guns, or cameras–knows how often the wait becomes a space for introspection and understanding of one’s place in the natural world. The hunter, in the wilderness and therefore on the margins experiences a form of leisure that is profoundly meditative and revealing. This definitely echoes the introspective journey of authentic leisure where one engages with living truths via limit situations

In essence, the connection to Ortega y Gasset’s “Meditations on Hunting” enriches the understanding of profound boredom and authentic leisure. It suggests that these existential states are not just confined to the realm of abstract philosophical thought but can be experienced and explored through concrete activities like hunting. [And by the transitive principle, all concrete activities that have a place in the human condition from before recorded history.]

I close with a bit of thinkering to connect François Laruelle’s work on non-philosophy with Heidegger, Jaspers, and Ortega y Gasset. Non-philosophy presents an innovative approach to reflective inquiry, one that seeks to step outside traditional philosophical frameworks to create a new mode of thinkering.

Here are few points on where I see the resonance: .

1. Profound Boredom and Authentic Leisure: Laruelle’s non-philosophy, which emphasizes a radical departure from standard philosophical methodologies, obviously engages throughward the resonance of profound boredom and authentic leisure. Since so few actually would say, “The meaning of human life is to find the leisure to become so profoundly bored you suddenly awaken to the lifeworld,” it fits nicely with Laruelle’s approach to challenge conventional philosophical boundaries. Because playfully exploring the relation of profound boredom and authentic leisure as more than psychological or emotional states. These gateways to deeper existential understanding align productively with Laruelle’s idea of using non-standard approaches to glean new insights into the nature of being.
2. Existential Engagement in Hunting: Laruelle advocates for a ‘democratization of thought’ to break down hierarchical structures in philosophy. Similarly, Ortega y Gasset’s perspective on hunting transcends the traditional view of leisure, offering an immersive, existential experience that democratizes philosophical inquiry by rooting it in a primal, accessible human activity–indeed, one of the most ancient of all human activities.
3. Synthesis with Non-Philosophy: Instead of adhering to established philosophical narratives, profound boredom, authentic leisure, and engaged hunting offer themes that invite a more experiential and inclusive understanding of human possibility, akin to how non-philosophy seeks to liberate thought from the preconceived structural hierarchies that have been pre-established, endlessly proliferated, and often used in such a way as to make thinkering incapable of being accomplished–at least, if the notion is to get to a NEW comprehension..

From Laruelle’s non-philosophy, I would add as well Gilles Deleuze’s concept of the Society of Control. The notion offers a critical perspective on how contemporary society operates, highlighting the subtle mechanisms of control that extend beyond traditional institutions into the fabric of everyday life.

The target: Can “profound boredom” and “authentic leisure,” as explored through the lenses of Heidegger, Jaspers, Ortega y Gasset, and Laruelle, be seen as proactive responses to how Control controls control?

1. Profound Boredom as a Form of Transistance: In Deleuze’s Postscript to Society of Control, individuals are constantly subjected to various forms of surveillance and normalization, leading to a continuous engagement with external stimuli and demands. Heidegger’s profound boredom emerges as a form of transistance to relentless mandatory engagements. By immersing my ownmost self into profound boredom, I step back from the incessant distractions and controls of society. Important: This withdrawal is not a passive state but an active engagement.
2. Authentic Leisure as an Existential Engagement: Authentic leisure, as discussed in the context of Jaspers and Ortega y Gasset in light of Seneca, becomes a proactive way to reclaim my Now/Here (time/space) from the pervasive influence of the diverse Control Networks. In contrast to the commodification of “free time” in modern society, where recreative activities often become another form of consumption and control, authentic leisure involves engaging in activities that foster existential understanding and self-realization. This form of leisure is about finding meaning and value in our own lifeworld nearby, among our friends/accomplices, that can be moved beyond the parameters set by society. This also has the added benefit of countering the homogenizing effect of the Society of Control.
3. Integration with Non-Philosophy: Laruelle’s non-philosophy, with its emphasis on democratizing thought and breaking away from traditional hierarchical structures, complements the idea of using profound boredom and authentic leisure as responses to the Society of Control. Non-philosophy encourages an approach to thought and existence that is free from the prevailing norms and controls of society, advocating for a form of engagement that is rooted in the individual’s unique perspective and experience.
4. Creating Spaces of Freedom and Reflection: Both profound boredom and authentic leisure, in their transistance to the norms of the Society of Control, create spaces of freedom and reflection. These concepts encourage individuals to step away from the societal frameworks that seek to define and control their existence. By doing so, they open up possibilities for new forms of existence and resistance, challenging the pervasive influence of the Society of Control and offering alternative ways of being in the world.

I offer these connections to encourage people to be okay with boredom–to not see every break in labor or in study or in whatever as requiring us to find something to amuse ourselves into utter alienated distraction.

†Lately when I have been a bit bored and not willing to meditate, I have been playing a good deal with ChatGPT4–which I have taught to answer to the name of HERMES–asking questions, doing cut-ups, etc. Most of this is after about an hour of me adding in things and taking out things and then getting more rearrangement through cut-up to see how I might approach topics.