The mind is always running, and it wants stuff to think about. When all it can think about is “I have nothing to think about,” that is boredom. When all it can think about is “I have nothing to do,” that is boredom. Many of us cope with boredom by dulling the mind’s insistence on thinking by taking drugs, by drinking alcohol, by watching TV, by playing solitaire or by watching our smartphone waiting for the universe to talk to us.