The-Conquest-of-Happiness-by-Bertrand-Russell

circumstances and some other more agreeable
circumstances which force themselves irresistibly
upon the imagination. It is also one of the
essentials of boredom that one’s faculties must not
be fully occupied. Running away from enemies
who are trying to take one’s life is, I imagine,
unpleasant, but certainly not boring. A man would
not feel bored while he was being executed, unless
he had almost superhuman courage. In like manner
no one has ever yawned during his maiden speech
in the House of Lords, with the exception of the
late Duke of Devonshire, who was reverenced by
their Lordships in consequence. Boredom is
essentially a thwarted desire for events, not
necessarily pleasant ones, but just occurrences
such as will enable the victim of ennui to know one
day from another. The opposite of boredom, in a
word, is not pleasure, but excitement.
The desire for excitement is very deepseated in
human beings, especially in males. I suppose that
in the hunting stage it was more easily gratified
than it has been since. The chase was exciting, war