I’m partial to 19th-century novels, and I envy their heroines, who spend their days reading and needlepointing and playing piano. I find it far easier to tolerate the whistling emptiness of boredom than the casino rattle of too much stimulation. Bill Gates wrote a blog post a couple of months ago about it, praising the practice for focusing his busy mind. But Trump chaos, both intentional and otherwise, has proved a great de facto political strategy, precisely because we are neurologically incapable of handling it. @JenSeniorNYFollow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook, Twitter (@NYTopinion) and Instagram.

Source: New York Times February 09, 2019 19:30 UTC