Escaping boredom

During the past three weeks there have been plenty of opportunities to escape the condition some people seem trapped in: (perpetual) boredom.

Well, holidaymaking is usually wieved as the great escape hatch for affluent Westerners like myself, the foolproof antidote to becoming immersed in the humdrum of everyday life. And usually it works well. There is always an experience you have not had before, a city you have never been to, a fun fair you have never set foot in. And deciding to go for it yields remarkable bonuses.

This summer we, the five members of my family, visited - among other things - a museum in the tiny town of Rjukan. This living icon of the birth of Norwegian industrialism holds few surprises, but it does offer a glimpse into the traumas and triumphs of World War II, courtesy of the Resistance museum perching atop a mountain shelf.

Some of you have seen the Hollywood blockbuster "Heroes of Telemark", and so you are familiar with the story of a number of gutsy boys of the Resistance who braved bad weather as well as belligerent occupants to try to undo Hitler's dream of getting the atomic bomb. Luckily they managed to halt the production of heavy water, and later were successfull in sinking the "Tinnsjø" ferry and its precious cargo, consisting of the same vital liquid.

I have known the story since I was a boy, but to my son and two daughters this was all fascinating new stuff. And so it was that I was bombarded with questions after we had watched a documentary on the feats of these Resistance fighters. I learned a few new facts myself, but the greatest bonus of the day was witnessing the kids, mouths gaping, eyes transfixed, as they listened to Daddy filling in a few more details on people who had risked their lives out of love for freedom, out of love for country.

Maybe they will learn to appreciate this visit even more later in life as they come to understand how easy it is to fail as a grown-up when you are called upon to be a real-life, real-size hero during the minor crises we may face. I pray I can follow in the footsteps of the Resistance fighters. At least to some extent.......