Is life aimless? Three thoughts on the topic
Life feels aimless.
Every day feels like walking in knee-high mud with no clear direction.
Does everyone feel like this?
I think this is a common human experience.
At least sometimes.
For hundreds of years, the west had religion. This was great to balance our selfish individualism with a greater purpose. We had a map/guide for life.
That's long gone.
Now we're all individuals. Our success and direction in life are all up to ourselves. Yeah, that's fucking terrifying.
But it's better than not having choices. How the fuck do we make the right choices? What the fuck is a right choice?
My five thoughts on the aimlessness of life
#1 We have to figure everything out ourselves. It's our job as individuals to figure out our own metrics for success.
That's not to say the general metrics of society can't be used. But we need to figure this shit out on our own terms:
- How important are relationships? Seriously, how much do I really care about the people in my life?
- What am I willing to sacrifice to get the things I want most?
- Professionally - How much of my self-worth is pegged to my job's status?
#2 It's better to work hard in the wrong direction than to do nothing.
Wasting energy doing something and finding out it's bullshit beats not trying.
If you spend 10 years of your life becoming a doctor just to find out being a doctor is fucked, that's 1000% better than spending 10 years jacking off into a sock and dreaming.
Is it better to spend 10 years doing something you love? Of course. But there's fuck all you can do to change the past.
Doing is always better than thinking about doing.
When you have the choice of doing something or nothing, pick the something. You'll thank yourself in the long run.
#3 Doing good shit often feels shitty.
You would think that working hard towards something you care about would feel great, right?
Well, it does. Just not all the time.
It often feels like absolute shit.
There will always be low points in your pursuit of a less shitty life. When they happen, all you'll want to do is drink, smoke pot, jack off into a sock, punch a wall (or face) and be a generally shit person.
You have to fight yourself to stay on task, which is fucking hard. In these moments, it's very fucking easy to give up.
And sometimes you will give up. But you have to get back on the horse and continue the mission of having a mission.
Quick disclaimer: I'm hopeless at all of the above, but I try every day to be better. I usually fail, but I'd rather try then roll over and accept my shitty life as it is.