Are You Leading a Life of Quiet Desperation?
Henry David Thoreau famously stated in Walden that “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.” He thinks misplaced value is the cause: We feel a void in our lives, and we attempt to fill it with things like money, possessions, and accolades. We think these things will make us happy. When they don’t, we just seek more of them.
Pay attention to the following signs of a quietly desperate life. You might be leading one if:
1. You’ve worked hard to reach a place of comfort and security — but you’re still dissatisfied. You’re comfortable, but you feel trapped. Every path away seems to go downhill.
2. You’ve convinced yourself you’re not talented, creative, disciplined, or lucky enough to pursue your dreams. You think you’re not one of the chosen few, so you’ve resigned yourself to mediocrity.
3. You’ve accepted the power your fears hold over you, and you work within their constraints. You concede to your fears rather than confronting them. You refuse to do anything scary and new.
4. You’re your own worst naysayer. You focus on how your plans will fail rather than on how to make them work. You expend great energy rationalizing inaction. You’ve decided your past failures predict future ones.
5. You’ve adopted a fatalistic attitude. Rather than working to improve your situation, you sit idly, hoping to get a lucky break. Rather than working to help yourself, you wait for others to help you.
6. You’ve decided you missed your chance. You’re too old, too committed, or too set in your ways to turn back now. Instead you sit and watch younger and more-free people do what you want to do.
Well are you?
Posted By: Earl Brown
Thursday, April 3rd 2014 at 9:52PM
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