The State of Boredom

One of the things I heard before I came and since arriving (from US citizens) is that there is not much to do here and it can get boring for the spouses without jobs. (Colombians I have spoken to LOVE Cartagena and acknowledge it is small, but I never heard one complain about being bored here.)
First, I want to say a bit about the state of being bored. To me, boredom is a lack of imagination. I never understand people who say they are bored. When my children say it, (which is rare because I react so strongly) I tell them that their boredom is not my problem. They can clean, do laundry or read a book. I am not here to entertain them or anyone else for that matter.
While I can understand to an extent a child or teenager complaining of boredom. I don't get it when a grown person complains. I have to bite my tongue from responding with things like, "Really? You're bored here? Don't you read books? They can be very engaging. The internet is also a really cool invention that, when used creatively, can really engage ones mind."
I am also puzzled by the people here who complain about the lack of sightseeing. I thought about my life in the US. I didn't spend every weekend sightseeing with my family. In fact, we rarely went to tourist attractions. We spent our time with schoolwork, sports and exercising around our neighborhood and town. I want to ask the people here who complain about such things-"Did you really spend every spare moment back home sightseeing?"
We spend our summers on an island off the coast of Maine that has only two general stores and one community center. You can only get there by boat. It is one of my favorite places on the planet. I have never felt bored there and in fact, I feel most at peace when I am there.
When someone said to me, "Well, there's not much to do here." I said, "I live on an island in the summer with only two small general stores. I am sure there is more to do here in Cartagena, Colombia."
The other funny statement I have heard from more than one person is, "There is a mall here, it's small, but at least it is something to do." Wow. I hated the malls in New Jersey when I lived there. I only went when I absolutely had to.  The last place I would go just to keep from being "bored" would be the mall. (I can write an entire blog entry about the "mall culture" that is in the US and we are sadly exporting all over the world, but I will save that for another day.)