Thoreau said, “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” And honestly, it’s starting to feel painfully accurate. Is this just how adulthood works? Or are we missing something?
Would love to hear how others deal with this feeling. Do you just accept it, find meaning in the small things, or have you found a way out?
Comments
Some of us do. Not me tho
I’d say 80% of life, and the other 20% is pure joy found by embracing myself. I have massive mood swings between incredibly joyful and sinking into a deep pit of despair
Yes
It’s trite, but life is nothing more than what you make of it. I had that realization in my 20s, and leaned into living my life according to another of Thoreau’s quotes: “…suck out all the marrow of life.”
It hasn’t been perfect, but I have almost no regrets, because I haven’t played it safe very often.
I think everyone goes through something like that but you can make it out. I went through that phase last year
As a guy who is incel I try to find happiness in the little things, no war in my part of the world (Iceland), clean water from the faucet, fresh Arctic air outside, safe streets, top in my life is washing and waxing my car.
currently reading Walden for the first time now. has a lot of relevant gems. but man does this dude love run-on sentences
He was projecting.
Not me. I saw a boob today.
Depends on the day.
Dumb. At least in the US, one can go out in public anywhere, find someone way worse off, yet smiling and trying to enjoy life.
I’m actually enjoying things. But when I’m desperate, I’m definitely not quiet about it. It’s everyone’s problem!