Why do we have a hard time keeping calm when we have nothing to do?

Aristotle said: "Life is in motion" It was clear that he was right. Our physical life exists in constant motion; the inner spiritual life also always requires activity, either through thought or through doing. The evidence for this is that when the thoughtless person has nothing to do, he immediately knocks his finger, or, strikes at the object of his hand. To put it another way: our existence is fundamentally turbulent, and therefore complete stillness can quickly become unbearable because it brings terrible boredom. Man's impulse to this activity should be regulated to obtain reasonable and therefore better satisfaction. Therefore, being able to engage in certain activities, if possible, making something, or at least learning something, is absolutely necessary for our happiness.

A person's abilities need to be exerted, and he is eager to see the results of the exertion of his abilities. In this respect, making or completing something, whether it is a basket or a book, brings us great satisfaction. Seeing the work at hand progress and eventually getting it done, we get a direct joy. Creating a work of art, writing an article, or even engaging in some kind of handmade work will bring us pleasure. Of course, the more noble our work, the greater the joy we feel. Those who are gifted well, but who are also aware of their ability to create monumental works of rich meaning and harmony and coherence, can really be called the happiest people in this regard. For throughout the life of such people they have a very high level of interest, and this interest adds to their lives a flavor that is lacking in the lives of others. Therefore, in contrast, ordinary people's lives are shallow and tasteless. For the above-mentioned gifted people, life and events, together with all the mundane and material things, have another higher, formal interest, because all these materials contain the themes of their creations. As long as the difficulties of their personal lives allow them to breathe, they will devote their lives tirelessly to the work of collecting these materials. These people have a dual intellect to some extent: one is used to cope with everyday relationships (i.e., things concerning intentions), in which they are no different from ordinary people; the other is used in an objective grasp of things. For this reason, they live a double life, both as spectators on the sidelines and as actors on stage. The general public is just the latter. But no matter what, everyone will try to do something according to their own talents.

The undesirable effects of doing nothing on us can be seen in the long excursions we make, because at this time we sometimes feel sullen. Once bored, man is like detached from his original nature. Working hard and struggling to overcome difficulties and obstacles is a human need, just as drilling holes is indispensable to groundhogs. The lack of nothingness caused by lasting satisfaction leads to stagnation, which becomes intolerable. Removing obstacles and difficulties can make people enjoy it to the fullest. These obstacles and difficulties can be material, such as those encountered in everyday life and in business, or spiritual problems such as problems in learning and research. Fighting these difficulties and obstacles and overcoming them will make people happy. If there is no opportunity to do so, people will try their best to create opportunities according to their own personalities. They either go hunting, or play with balls, or are unconsciously driven by nature to quarrel, to play tricks, to engage in deception, or to do all sorts of other bad things, but to put an end to the unbearable state of boredom. "When you have nothing to do, it's hard to stay calm."