Studies and boredom

Its really amazing that the older one gets and the more a person has to study, the corresponding effort is that much lesser. The phenomenon is not just bound to any particular class of students. Take me for example. Actually, this would not be a great example, considering that I never do study. The enthusiasm, the zeal, that fire in the belly to get an outstanding result- all of which I did possess a few years back are all missing.

To drive home my point, I have an exam today. In my defense, I know the subject.

What is it that causes this decadence? I have no other word for it. Probably it stems from the monotonicity of studying fro so man years, and the mind needs a change. But that explanation on its own does not hold for much as no matter how long a vacation or a break one will get, the improvement will not be drastic. Another explanation could possibly be the sheer apathy towards life, atleast during this phase. There seems to be a sense of boredom in whatever there is in life. Yet other possible explanations could be the boring subjects that one has to endure, the sadistic teachers, peer pressure and even the pressure at home.