We often talk about finding meaning. Meaning in the little things in everyday life, in work and in all of life. But it can actually be very useful to also deal with the meaningless. Because if you want to understand yourself, you have to make room for what you don't understand, says philosopher Rasmus Johnsen, associate professor and vice-dean for Lifelong Learning at CBS.
This is one of the reasons why in recent years he has been researching boredom, which is precisely characterised by a loss of meaning.
"Boredom is a taboo in a world where all possibilities are open and where you can always reach for your phone if you are bored.
Yet there is good reason to take an interest in boredom as a cultural phenomenon. Because boredom can help us understand ourselves and create change," he says and continues:
"I am always careful when saying that boredom can lead to something positive. Because then a demand quickly arises that boredom must contribute something. And if you're in a place where you can't use your boredom for anything, then you're really in trouble," he says.
Therefore, he makes it clear: Boredom is, in its basic form, a negative phenomenon.
He does the same when he teaches experienced managers and specialists on CBS' Master of Business Development, MBD.
According to Rasmus Johnsen, the self-development wave of the past 20 years has basically been about becoming someone else, and with the course "Organisational Understanding and Personal Development" at MBD, Rasmus Johnsen and his colleague Jacob Vase wanted to offer an alternative where it is not about becoming someone else, but about understanding yourself in the context of the organisation you work in. And not least making room for the things you don't understand:
"This is where boredom is interesting, because it's a way to talk about the parts of the work and the organisation that feel meaningless," he explains.