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I equate being bored not so much with apathy OR slumber, but with realizing the futility of an action or a particular concern. You work hard to get somebody elected, expecting real change, and then nothing changes and you realize your energies might better be spent assembling jigsaw puzzles or perfecting your bowling form. So politics becomes boring, not because I'm slumbering, but because being interested in politics reveals itself to be no more productive than jigsaw puzzles or bowling. I am not apathetic about outcomes, but I have come to realize the futility of "being interested in politics" as a means of affecting any change.
And of all the activities that "being interested in politics" entails, the only one more pointless and futile than talking to fellow liberals about politics is talking to conservatives about politics. In the first case the person doesn't need to be convinced and in the second case the person never will be convinced. So either way, nothing ever changes.
This year I'm going to try camping, bird watching, and learning to speak Spanish. If any of those activities should reveal themselves to be as pointless as "being interested in politics" I'm sure I'll become bored with them too.
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