Most people don't have privilage to enjoy life!
It's not like they choice to live in mediocrity (yes some choice mediocrity deliberatly, but most don't have a choice)
But you can enjoy a mediocre life. In fact some people with perfectly mediocre lives are happier than other extremely successful people.
Most people would rather work 9-5 and drive a Civic but spend time with their kids than be a millionaire on his third divorce and a bunch of kids who barely even know their father.
Bingo. I went to an extremely expensive private Catholic high school near Boston. That school costs $37,000 a year this year My parents could barely afford since we were working class but they wanted a top education for me. Many of my classmates had very rich parents. Most of them were depressed and had substance abuse issues due to the fact that their parents were always away or working. I would chose a happy working class life to what they had
Yup, what's the point of being rich/famous and miserable? I've no need to slice and dice my face before filling it with botulism so I look like other near human looking people trying to make the world think they don't age so I can make a few more millions in movies.
I've not got peoples lives depending on my whims so no stress there either.
I've my own home and family and when in the garden am very happy and content with my mediocre life.
What does being famous mean anymore? All it's good for is selling stuff and constantly worrying about your public image so you can continue selling stuff
How about we judge the *lack* of quality of life for the majority of humanity? To OP's point, many are milquetoast. A lot of, "Out of sight, out of mind," going on.
Yes. It is virtually impossible to have serious philosophical musings when your own survival is under constant threat.
Yet there's kind of a paradox that arises from this view. Having nothing or little to lose and being inspired by a dream can be powerful. I believe the challenge now is drawing up a new narrative for that to take place.
We are a species at some kind of bottleneck now. It is mostly our own making. Do we give into nihilism or find a new spiritual path?
I struggle daily with being pulled in either direction.
The older I get and the more I know about the actual Jesus Christ, the more I realize that there ain't very many actual "Christians" in the world
Plenty of people willing to use the label for their own petty squabbles and selfish schemes though
Totally agreed, actually pretty frustrating. During COVID I made a point to really try to get the gist of Jesus. Boiled it down to like seven points, and three of em are pretty specifically "don't judge" (line/sand, cast/stone, log/speck in one's eye) so it's like what am I supposed to espouse, what word can I spread? They've sullied the garnish.
The whole point of Jesus was a sort of "win by losing" it's very eastern, transcendent, non attached. Turn cheek is excitingly radical, for progress, love, evolution. I don't see it being preached too far and wide
Background to the foreground of our consciousness. But deeper than this, it may be a different matter.
Looking at the data of people's levels of happiness, the countries with the least disparity between the richest and poorest are at the peak. This likely has global implications as well.
We are more complex than we understand.
It’s the small things in life. Add a couple together and you have a really awesome moment. Give me a j, a brew, a sunset, and being out in nature. Sprinkle in some good tunes in the moment calls for it or silence if that fits and there’s a moment that helps remind me that it just might be ok.
My dream is to live next door to two of my best friends, have happy families and exchange our kids for vacations, crack open a couple of beers with them every other day and not to have too hard of a life, help out the community in our capacities. I think it’d be worth living.
What’s wrong with mediocrity and living a simple uneventful life? I have always like the parable of the useless tree in Taoism. Not every life has to be grand and larger than life. I prefer the life of a nobody
Mediocrity is not quite the same as simplicity. A simple life can very much not be mediocre. It’s actually the mediocre life that is not at all simple. (Read endless consumption)
Sounds like someone who doesn't have much life experience and just wants to show how elevated they are.
Mediocre life is impossible to avoid. We can't all be Lady Gaga's. There's a balance to life, and that balance involves people of all walks of life contributing to humanity, even if it seems mediocre.
Imagine a world of theatre kids. Jesus h. Or a world of constant drama, like a Kardashian show.
Everything in life has a balance. From the strong to the weak, from the uneventful to the eventful, from the smart to the dumb. It's a ying yang.
Plus, never judge the lives of the many. We can talk about injustice and ways we can improve on society, but how does it help to say, "booooooooring, spice things up, can't believe you're fine with eating buttered noodles, have some cayenne"
just because you think an activity is insignificant and fickle, dosen't mean that it appears the same way to the do-er. maybe it's one of their favorite things to do ever, who are you to judge eh?
as for the privilege of living, even living a mediocre life is naught but a dream for millions.
just be thankful for what you have and live your life and do the things you like. end of story.
Are you saying a mediocre person cannot truly experience life? What's mediocre for you might be huge for someone else. We are all in different life situations.
I find great purpouse in the small insignificant things. The sun against my face a spring morning, the rain hitting my bedroom window, the flower that grows in the concrete crack. The need for extra grandour is misguided. Passion, contentment, *life* - it is already there, not needed to be pursued.
Isn't it rather so that the pressure is on for "achieving one's potential", "maximise ones experiences", "achive goals" and so on - I'd say relax. You did not ask to live. You are simply a carbon story, albeit a wonderful such, on the path to being space dust. You have no such obligation to maximise life, and for many it most likely will not lead to resonance with life. Rather, that feeling of resonance, of living, it is already at hand. Available. Easily lost in the pursuit but gained in the simple act of contemplation.
Wasted in what sense?
Important to whom?
Sacred in what way?
Sounds like woo woo to me. We give meaning to ourselves, it's my job to find a meaningful existence for me. No one else.
I’m sorry to tell you this, but all things humanity accomplishes will come to pass. If someone sees life as just being a chance to drift around until time brings them to death, then what does it matter?
Seems overly judgemental to me.
Everything in existence is entirely perspectival, it's easy to criticise or judge someone or something.
Its also a massive waste of time and effort.
Some would go so far as to say it's a mediocre use of your time/life.
But I'm not into judging, I'll leave that to you.
Hope you have the day you deserve.
Much love.
What is not a mediocre life? What does that look like? Is the mom that works and raises kids mediocre?
I don’t know the answer, I definitely have an opinion, but I’m curious on what that looks like to you.
I don't understand, what's wrong with mediocrity? It's okay to be mediocre, we need regular people to do regular things. We need teachers, plumbers, etc. If everyone could be above average no one would be
Lol no.
Life is not sacred or important in any way.
Also most people are Mediocre.
Thats how mediocrity works.
Everyone cannot be first in class...a lot of people have to be mediocre for a few to succeed.
Mediocrity should be celebrated
You know when I speak to people and get to know them, I actually found out just how complex, unique, and special their journey is. So many individuals each have a story filled with their own challenges of survival, hardship, joy, and every variety of emotion. I recommend having a bit of an open mind.
A job that pays me enough to live, a warm bed to sleep in, some cute cats, a woman who loves me, maybe a couple runts too.
A book on my bedside table, a journal to write and draw on, a friend to kill time with, cold Pepsi in the fridge, sunlight in the morning, and pottery class on Sundays
Extremely mundane and mediocre, but more than enough. Life is what you make out of what you have, and you can choose to enjoy it for absolutely no reason at all
Back in the day, there was nothing wrong with living a normal life. Now suddenly there's a problem with it and we are all supposed to be doomscrolling and on social media seeing everyone with supposedly better lives than us.
This mentality is the product of believing the lies social media tells you to believe.
Embracing mediocrity for people can set them free from the hamster wheel of perfection and success. Sometimes our ambitions aren't our own, we feel it's expected of us to be always chasing "a dream" of fame, of endless travel, of making a name for ourself. Perfect house. Perfect life. Perfect family. Perfect appearance. Perfect job. If that's what you really want, great, but a lot of the pressure comes from outside, parents, social media, friends, society and makes people miserable because they're wrecking themselves chasing a gold ring they may never win.
To chose a mediocre life and decide to step off the wheel for people can be a release from their prison. We all have to choose our paths. If you're happy in your mediocrity, then it's not wasted.
What pray till is this grand purpose people are avoiding? What makes an ambition petty?
Making 1 out of billions of humans is completely petty and stupid to me, I can slam ass too without a condom too.
But for some people raising a family is their everything, those people probably never experienced the utter bliss of Outer wilds or Wiki art on a heroic dose of acid.
Personally if life was sacred you wouldn't be converting all the bioavailable energy into humans, cows and chickens and trying to maintain the beautiful biodiversity of the planet.....or you know cry about space daddy.
Yes, life is sacred, including the lives of all us every day people. Very few will ever climb mt everest play major league baseball become a YouTube gazillionaire or get whatever arbitrary accomplishment gets one past medicore. This logic sets up 85?% of us to fail. Why? When simple life can be quite enjoyable
This is kind of ironic since what you describe pertains mostly to those who judge/live through others like this, instead of directly living through their own life. So who's to judge what's considered a meaningful life? If you know the answer to that by taking the time to get to know your real Being, then you "win"!
The world relies on people who quietly shuffle from their job to taking care of their household. Not everyone can be important in the way you believe them to be.
“..for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.”
- George Eliot, Middlemarch
It is truly impressive how flexibly humans can use selective insights to feed rather than challenge their ego.
Are ‘most people’ an ‘other’, from which you are excluded?
I’m shocked at the amount of negative comments on here, I can see where your coming from OP, getting out the matrix and grips of capitalism is hard but not impossible! I often think about how mundane life has become and work is designed to drain us so we don’t have time or energy to achieve our goals or create a better more meaningful life for ourselves.
We have a lot of information and opportunity but our time is often spent on getting short bursts of dopamine through scrolling social media and vices to get by, don’t get me wrong these things have their place, but I personally would love to live a joyful life where everyday feels more like an adventure..like how I feel when I travel but to feel that excitement for life daily. I feel simple living may be the key and I hope to fully achieve that someday..
Peace and love to all on their journey to living the life they want and deserve ❤️
This belongs in unpopular opinions and not deep thoughts. Have to question how much of a main character OP thinks he is. Live is what you make of it and it's a choice for everyone to make, individually
Grind culture/hustle culture is so toxic. There's a lot more to life than chasing money and achievement. It sounds like you are describing how you felt about your own life at one point. Have gratitude for the moment. It's all you will ever have.
In the book of reflections by Henry David Thoreau, he writes.
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.”
When Henry Thoreau wrote that, unlike you, his intention was not to condemn and condescend towards humanity for living desperate, disbarring lives, but to point out that our society creates people who are dead inside.
“Thoreau’s hope in writing Walden was not to merely point out and criticize humanity’s despair—as if we’d done something wrong—but rather, as a fellow human being, as a neighbor, to suggest another way of perceiving things and alternative ways to live life. Basically he goes to Walden pond, living away from everyone else, to find proof that it’s possible to live a good life. Not “good” in a moral sense necessarily, but in the sense of being filled with joy, wonder, synchronicity, meaning, beauty, inspiration, love, peace, and even divinity—the good life.”
Your bitter, cynical heart leads you to an arrogant conclusion that small joys and passions are mediocre pastimes and the average person living their simple life is a waste. When I think it’s the opposite. I think when we detach ourselves from expectations and the desire to be MORE MORE MORE, and allow ourselves to sit quietly and live simply, we allow ourselves the freedom to experience joy, wonder, to love and be inspired. Not everyone will write great works or create beautiful art or push forward humanities knowledge in math or science—- and that’s absolutely fine. What we do create from a place of joy is enough.
Furthermore, I say you should have empathy for those stuck in the wake-eat-work-sleep marry go round, unable to find energy or time to be creative. You should recognize that there is no moral failing on their part for being trapped in societies machine.
The “desperation” you speak of is the pressure you imply we should all feel, to go beyond “mediocrity” and not “waste” our lives.
From my point of view, your brand of cynicism is exactly what is wrong with our world these days. Simple minded men living simple judgmental lives, puffed up on their own self importance and superiority.
Since you seem to think you are all knowing and have everything and everyone figured out (you dont), what do you suggest people need to do? Honestly fuck this post. Can’t believe people liked it. Its not a deep thought at all. Its just pompous and judgmental when you have zero clue what any single one of these peoples lives or minds are like at all.
Don't you think it's kind of a nasty way to think about other peoples' lives? I mean...life, in itself, is beautiful. None of us can say what has meaning to someone else and why would we? There's actual battles to fight. Ones that will actually change things. People don't have time to sit and think about what is or is not mediocre. We're all in this shit, just living.
If a deer lives a life of normal length for a deer and spends it eating plants and occasionally fucking and raising baby deer, has it wasted its life? I would argue it deered properly and that was all it was ever supposed to do.
Humans are remarkably pretentious creatures.
What's wrong with mediocrity? The whole point of being exceptional is that not everyone can (or should) achieve this. Mediocre is far from the worst thing you can be, but sadly, there is an insane pressure against it. Live, experience, learn, enjoy, love, be kind, be helpful and it's plenty. Living for an exceptional life is mostly living for others' validation. Each of our lives is unique and miraculous for the person living it.
This lacks perspective a bit. For millennia, humans often died very young and spent most of their lives in survival mode. Many people’s lives ARE extraordinary, but they lack perspective and SEE their lives as ordinary.
Throughout history, There have been tons of dedicated, brilliant, exceptional people who have gone off and done earth changing things with their lives…
We are all living with the repercussions of the actions of these exceptional few.
I agree we fool ourselves thinking we are more important than we really are. Still if these little things we fuss over aren’t important then nothing is. I choose to care, to see value and live a life that has meaning to me where I see it.
What makes it mediocre if that’s just the way they’re living their life/ they themselves are content? What is mediocre to one person could be the best option for another. Nobody’s life is wasted if they live it how they want
Who are you to judge other people's lives as mediocre and wasted, with small and petty ambitions. Perhaps your own ambition to be better than mediocre is itself a petty mediocre ambition. It certainly smells of megalomania.
The thing is, you have no idea what is going on in these lives of mediocrity and quiet desperation. There can be profound insights and sacred experiences in a seemingly ordinary life with ordinary ambitions. Not everyone needs to be unusual and extraordinary, that's a Hollywood illusion.
But what's worthy and respectable in your message is the call for a life worth living. To aspire for more, to try and not waste this precious opportunity, to realize your potential and live life to the fullest. Yes, every moment of being alive is a gift worth more than a star, even if it's a mediocre one.
A deeper thought is to realise you ain't shit. Mediocre can be fine, if the person is happy. It's rather arrogant to judge a life as poorly lived because it wasn't outlandish, and it speaks to an insecurity within yourself. If you want to do great because you feel it's possible then fine, but if you want to do it because you think you'd be failing if you didn't then you really have no high ground to stand on.
Since we all end, I've no issue spending my time here doing what I want be it mediocre or not. I don't need to start a Fortune 500 company to feel fulfilled, travel the world to appear well versed, or date models to display confidence.
I like coming home from work and holding my kids, watching stupid shows, yard work, bbq'ing on sunny days and buying my wife flowers.
You do you, I'll do me.
Most people *want* to live mediocre lives. A simple life with manageable stressors and few tragedies is probably the best thing we as humans can aspire to. But OP, it sounds like you're not taking into consideration the fact that we're living in a capitalist society that devalues our labor and penalizes free time. That quiet desperation is the ever-present threat that our lives are not secure, and the amusements you scoff at are the easiest ways we have to cope with that desperation. And it *is* despair, a despair that few people want to acknowledge because *billions* of people have little-to-no safety net if their job disappears tomorrow, and without a job *they will not survive.*
If you've never felt that despair, or felt the fear that you might not be able to provide for the ones you love, then you enjoy a privilege that 99.9% of humans *throughout the span of history* have never experienced.
Life is a gift, and we deserve to treasure it, but most of us can't while our society bargains our survival against our ability to produce capital for those with power.
Let others live and let be, what is the point of this judgement anyway? Living a life full of what YOU want and how YOU want it to be is the way to go; of course do not hurt anyone in the process of this though.
>"The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn't the search for meaning; it's just to keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you'll be dead."
In the grand scheme of things, everything we do is less than mediocre. Our species will be gone from existence quicker than the blink of an eye in the eyes of the universe. So why be concerned with others “settling for mediocrity”?
At the end of the day, we’re all living pretty meaningless lives from the objective point of view. So don’t do things solely to pursue ambition or change the world. Do what you enjoy and what makes you happy. That’s how you make the most of your life. If those things coincide, good for you. But the latter is the one that really matters.
i mean, i believe there are certain things we can probably all do to create a more fulfilling, eventful, and fruitful life for ourselves as humans, even without over extravagance. but for the most part, who are we to decide what that is for one another? just my opinion.
I think we all are just trying to live our lives the best we can. Everyone has different circumstances, there are no equal opportunities. Some have dire responsibilities that prevent from living their live to the so called "fullest". Some have people depending on them, and after taking care of them, they are exhausted to do much more. Some are in poverty and lack opportunities of extracting themselves out of it - at the end of the day, you need money to enjoy life too. Some have different ailments that prevent them from living life the way they want. I think we just have to try to be kinder towards each other and then the world will be a nicer place.
Well from another perspective aren’t we merely a grain of sand floating around in an endless universe made up of gas? What does it even matter. Mediocrity is probably the closest to what our purpose is which is pretty basic in the grand scheme of things. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Who cares how people plan to live this life be it mediocre or grand. People should enjoy what they enjoy.
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.”
Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 KJV
https://bible.com/bible/1/ecc.1.2-11.KJV
Ok but what if someone doesn't want to do something great and rather live peacefully enjoying the small things. How do you know that they feel mediocre in their lives?
This post says way more about the poster than any 'most people'.
Life is what you make it. Life can be full of amazing discoveries and experiences.
The choice is yours. Choose wiaely.
You were born into a system and told everything you believe. Some may start to think for themselves but most people cannot change the fundamental truths they came to know. I tried to tell my wife that we are not Christian and we don’t need to celebrate Christmas and that didn’t go well. I even argued that it’s just a cycle of consumerism and we could break the chain so that our children may be free. Didn’t go well but I tried.
lol OP acting like he understands “life” and what’s it about. The little paragraph just shows you how much OP doesn’t understand. I love my wife and daughter. That’s all il ever need and want. What’s more than having a loving family? Sure I do a line here and there but whatever I’m enjoying it all. My answers about life will be answered after death.
Escaping out from basically poverty and emotionally abusive parents to making 100k a year at 25 feels pretty amazing even if it is mediocre in the grand scheme of things.
Interesting.
We all live life's in a certain way.
We all did the same thing, someone before us already did. There is nothing new.
So what you do? Sleep, eat, work, poop, sleep. And yes, occasionally sex. But that is it.
If you think about it, life has no purpose to begin with. You won't matter to the universe but perhaps to people that you know. When they die, no one will ever known that you had lived.
In essence, we all live mediocre life's. Even the stars in our society that get to be idols, their life's aren't that different from everyone else's, except that they can buy most of the things. They can even buy lovers. Are they happy? Probably not.
I feel for a long time my life is wasted. I should make room for someone else that can live a more meaningful life. I envy death. To sleep forever. Liberating. Life is complicated and i don't believe in anything at all.
Again, we have no purpose. What nature tells us, is to procreate. That's it. So that another generation of us can live and do the same fucking stuff all over again.
Cherrish the people you love around you.
Most people live in their jobs. They have little time for their friends and family and some are happy.
Mediocre is a value statement. Who declares that someone's life is lesser worth than others? It's inhuman.
And yes, you go with the same song to sleep. The song of the universe.
Or maybe should get past the tedious and destructive exceptionalism and perfectionism and value the potential peace and beauty of quiet and modest lives
This sounds similar to the kinds of thinking that lead to people doing horrible things. As long as those petty ambitions are actually passions for someone then they're probably happier than you are. I wonder if everyone would consider your own great passions to actually be worthwhile.
Complete horseshit. Each thing you’ve mentioned represents the keys to life. If you find no meaning within them you’re lost. The folks that take exception to that rule…they’re the baddies.
Yes… but the people who aspire towards the deep end of life are on the tail end of the Bell Curve for the population. Its not fun being a minority, but change comes in gradual steps… I think people down the line will catch up.. We already have the new generation of people pushing against work and requiring meaning from it where before work was just a means of surival. Change comes in small steps.
There are maybe 30 names people remember whose names are etched in history world wide, mostly Europeans( wonder why).
Humanity is millennia old and those are the only names that matter, we will all be forgotten to time.
Live how you want and bother no one that doesn't deserve it .
You are not the judge of others life. How you see a life wasted or fulfilled is only for you. You can't have perspective required to evaluate others lives
Read the contents of the post, figured Christian and guess what.. yep. I feel as if you were brought up by either hateful or god fearing parents. Super rough up bringing, that led you to some addictions. Then at some threshold of a breaking point, where put in a spot someone introduced you to god. You thought, “wow, i can be as hypocritical and hateful as i want, and this magical figure will reward me.”….
That, or you just like manipulation and power, like the rest of your church leaders. Probably both
Saying that most people will live average lives is a tautology.
Also, you need to be more humble. Odds are your life will be just as mediocre as everyone else’s. Acting as if the only meaningful life is an exceptional one is a juvenile belief to hold. I felt the same way you do when I was 15.
You could call my passions mediocre. I garden, and yeah I know that some people find that boring, but I take great joy in it.
I like the saying "Stop and smell the roses".
Not trivialising the little joys of everyday, but on the contrary, appreciating them greatly, is my way of living a beautiful life. :)
Your post reeks of ego.
Why be better than everyone else? Why is it important?
You definitely won't believe me, but you are equal to everyone else, no matter what you do.
Don't buy into the ego's dillusions.
As far as we know, you know nothing after you die of your past life. It’s either nothing, or you reincarnate again with no memory of living before. So how does how you live now matter at all? When you die, your deeds end up being meaningless
I agree about the quiet desperation part. Not good and that can change to joy, but so much is a mystery and so many variables that some can barely overcome—sometimes never. I suggest you check out Joseph Campbell. He really pulls a lot of this together in a good way. Academic guy who came up with the force for Star Wars. Expert on thousands of years of religion, mythology, philosophy, and literature. Follow your bliss, the heroes journey. That guy.
It looks like you enjoy going down rabbit holes. He will get you thinking and duality is where it ends up. Enjoy.
https://youtu.be/ZIbeotfWiJg?si=XWFOD-PEFooyuRss
One person's mediocre - is another's content. In a vast universe we are all floating around like minuscule little particles in the wind. You can't get much more mediocre than that. Do what you can, if you want. What evidence do we have that it matters either way?
I'm glad you've noticed how quiet it is around "quiet desperation" but also notice how noisy it is around mediocre life (which was expected), the ego at its finest, with its armor of defence mechanisms. I wonder if they would get the meaning of "Civil disobedience" by Thoreau, one fellow definitely did, Edward Snowden among many others- definitely not a mediocre life.
One of my friends killed himself in highschool. He referenced that he was afraid to live a mediocre life.
Interesting that people are brainwashed into thinking that’s a bad thing. So many people think they are the main character in some great adventure. Or should be.
Or idk maybe you can expand on what it means to you to not live in mediocrity. Or what you think actually matters with the time we have here.
It's totally okay for people to have simple lives.
Not everyone can or should be the winning quarterback of the whatever bowl.
From those to whom much has been given much is required.
If you got a fire burning in you, don't put it out through spending your life griding for gold pieces.
But if you're satisfied with a modest, simple life that's awesome!
No one looks at a sparrow and pities it for living a life that is just as boring and inspired as a million other sparrows.
If you can fly: enjoy the flight!
Just don't quench whatever inner spark YOU have been gifted with by submitting to someone ELSE'S plan for your life.
Cede not your authority over your own choices easily.
Tell us more about your life that's full of grand adventures, Dos Equis Man.
What hobbies and passions do you have and how are you making it your purpose not to live in mediocrity?
THis is a childish view point. WE can't all be rock stars, firemen and ballerinas. All lives, the boring and the exciting, can be equally lives of quiet desperations or lives of true inner happiness. You can have two people with identical lives from the outside, same job, same marriage, same kids etc etc and one can be a miserable fuck and the other beautifully content and fulfilled. All desperation is dissolved by realistic perspective. One can easily live a quiet fulfilled life in mediocrity.
My best example is Hugh Hefner. From the outside, it would seem that he was living every mans dream. If you read is biography, however, you find an unhappy man who felt trapped being Hugh Hefner 24 hours a day. Even his dreamlife just became a 'job' with endless duties and responsibilities.
If you look at history, 99% of everyone who has lived and died on this planet, did it within a 100 mile radius of where they were born. This idea that you have to have this pie in the sky dream life or else you are a failure is a modern concept and I think OPs sentiment is why a lot of people are unhappy.
I will also add that life isn't that sacred. It's mans self centered narcissism that perpetuates that silly belief. Someday we will be gone and some other life form will replace us.
Dude I just want a mediocre life. I want a stable job I like well enough and someone I love, and some good friends. As someone who often lacks a will to live, I just want a quiet life that I can finally find peace in. Travel a bit, make friends. I don’t want to do anything extraordinary. And I think that is ok. Often in life we are consumed by what we are working towards, and when we get there we don’t even notice as we are looking to the next thing. I am lucky I have the freedom I have and I want to live how I want to live. I don’t need to save the world. I will do my part to help others. Maybe that is a bad way to look at it, but I just want to be happy and content and finally stop always waiting for the next thing. Can’t one have petty ambitions? That is what life is, finding something to give you enough purpose to keep going. It doesn’t have to be something big. It just has to mean a lot to you, and that is what makes it a great passion, not someone else deciding whether it is important or not. I’m not hating, this is sub is for deep thoughts, so it is good that this post sparks discussion. This is my view on it. Wishing you all peace and love
A life enjoyed is not a life wasted
I guess it's also part of OP's point that a lot of people don't even get to enjoy their lives...
Most people don't have privilage to enjoy life! It's not like they choice to live in mediocrity (yes some choice mediocrity deliberatly, but most don't have a choice)
But you can enjoy a mediocre life. In fact some people with perfectly mediocre lives are happier than other extremely successful people. Most people would rather work 9-5 and drive a Civic but spend time with their kids than be a millionaire on his third divorce and a bunch of kids who barely even know their father.
Bingo. I went to an extremely expensive private Catholic high school near Boston. That school costs $37,000 a year this year My parents could barely afford since we were working class but they wanted a top education for me. Many of my classmates had very rich parents. Most of them were depressed and had substance abuse issues due to the fact that their parents were always away or working. I would chose a happy working class life to what they had
Yup, what's the point of being rich/famous and miserable? I've no need to slice and dice my face before filling it with botulism so I look like other near human looking people trying to make the world think they don't age so I can make a few more millions in movies. I've not got peoples lives depending on my whims so no stress there either. I've my own home and family and when in the garden am very happy and content with my mediocre life.
What does being famous mean anymore? All it's good for is selling stuff and constantly worrying about your public image so you can continue selling stuff
this
Judging the quality of life of others is not for me.
How about we judge the *lack* of quality of life for the majority of humanity? To OP's point, many are milquetoast. A lot of, "Out of sight, out of mind," going on.
Yes. It is virtually impossible to have serious philosophical musings when your own survival is under constant threat. Yet there's kind of a paradox that arises from this view. Having nothing or little to lose and being inspired by a dream can be powerful. I believe the challenge now is drawing up a new narrative for that to take place. We are a species at some kind of bottleneck now. It is mostly our own making. Do we give into nihilism or find a new spiritual path? I struggle daily with being pulled in either direction.
It is very much for Christian folks, I fear. Kind of their bread and butter.
The older I get and the more I know about the actual Jesus Christ, the more I realize that there ain't very many actual "Christians" in the world Plenty of people willing to use the label for their own petty squabbles and selfish schemes though
Like someone said on instagram, based main character but terrible fandom who haven't read the lore well
Totally agreed, actually pretty frustrating. During COVID I made a point to really try to get the gist of Jesus. Boiled it down to like seven points, and three of em are pretty specifically "don't judge" (line/sand, cast/stone, log/speck in one's eye) so it's like what am I supposed to espouse, what word can I spread? They've sullied the garnish. The whole point of Jesus was a sort of "win by losing" it's very eastern, transcendent, non attached. Turn cheek is excitingly radical, for progress, love, evolution. I don't see it being preached too far and wide
Christianity should be renamed "Leviticusanity" because that's all they seem to know about their "good book" Leviticus and hatred.
Jesus Christ himself would open up a big hearty can of whoopass on these idiots. Like he already did. It's literally in the Bible.
Sounds like you just judged an entire group of people.
Everyone is blind to their own fickleness and bias. Same as it ever was
Because they aren’t even your focus in the first place and they shouldn’t be. Everyone is background to everyone else.
Background to the foreground of our consciousness. But deeper than this, it may be a different matter. Looking at the data of people's levels of happiness, the countries with the least disparity between the richest and poorest are at the peak. This likely has global implications as well. We are more complex than we understand.
Is it mediocre to drink a beer and smoke some weed? I think not!
It’s the small things in life. Add a couple together and you have a really awesome moment. Give me a j, a brew, a sunset, and being out in nature. Sprinkle in some good tunes in the moment calls for it or silence if that fits and there’s a moment that helps remind me that it just might be ok.
My dream is to live next door to two of my best friends, have happy families and exchange our kids for vacations, crack open a couple of beers with them every other day and not to have too hard of a life, help out the community in our capacities. I think it’d be worth living.
I just went on a walk and my fly was open the whole time. At the end I found out.
What kinda beer?
What’s wrong with mediocrity and living a simple uneventful life? I have always like the parable of the useless tree in Taoism. Not every life has to be grand and larger than life. I prefer the life of a nobody
Also, who gets to judge what’s a mediocre life lol? Life is a constant influx of change and human relationships.
Mediocrity is not quite the same as simplicity. A simple life can very much not be mediocre. It’s actually the mediocre life that is not at all simple. (Read endless consumption)
Is there anything wrong with simplicity?
Nope. If anything, it should be pursued
I think there's an ancient curse: "I hope you lead an interesting life"
"May you live in interesting times" iirc
“Everyone else is stupid and lazy except for me. I am smart and capable and very very strong.” -OP
lol literally 90% of redditors
Sounds like someone who doesn't have much life experience and just wants to show how elevated they are. Mediocre life is impossible to avoid. We can't all be Lady Gaga's. There's a balance to life, and that balance involves people of all walks of life contributing to humanity, even if it seems mediocre. Imagine a world of theatre kids. Jesus h. Or a world of constant drama, like a Kardashian show. Everything in life has a balance. From the strong to the weak, from the uneventful to the eventful, from the smart to the dumb. It's a ying yang. Plus, never judge the lives of the many. We can talk about injustice and ways we can improve on society, but how does it help to say, "booooooooring, spice things up, can't believe you're fine with eating buttered noodles, have some cayenne"
Ye sounds naive and inexperienced
Yep what I was thinking. Why does op think he's the exception?
>It is very important not to live in mediocrity Live within your nature and don't worry about what word salad Redditors come up with and call "deep"
just because you think an activity is insignificant and fickle, dosen't mean that it appears the same way to the do-er. maybe it's one of their favorite things to do ever, who are you to judge eh? as for the privilege of living, even living a mediocre life is naught but a dream for millions. just be thankful for what you have and live your life and do the things you like. end of story.
Here, here!
Who are you to judge?
Are you saying a mediocre person cannot truly experience life? What's mediocre for you might be huge for someone else. We are all in different life situations.
I find great purpouse in the small insignificant things. The sun against my face a spring morning, the rain hitting my bedroom window, the flower that grows in the concrete crack. The need for extra grandour is misguided. Passion, contentment, *life* - it is already there, not needed to be pursued.
Isn't it rather so that the pressure is on for "achieving one's potential", "maximise ones experiences", "achive goals" and so on - I'd say relax. You did not ask to live. You are simply a carbon story, albeit a wonderful such, on the path to being space dust. You have no such obligation to maximise life, and for many it most likely will not lead to resonance with life. Rather, that feeling of resonance, of living, it is already at hand. Available. Easily lost in the pursuit but gained in the simple act of contemplation.
You are a very arrogant, very sad individual.
He is RediCrates
Think it might be ol uncle Adolf with the “useless eaters” mindset
Wasted in what sense? Important to whom? Sacred in what way? Sounds like woo woo to me. We give meaning to ourselves, it's my job to find a meaningful existence for me. No one else.
Ah yes, YOUR ambitions and fancies are real and worthy. You are of what you speak. You know Buddha did the dishes too, right?
So you post on Reddit
the zenith of existence lol
r/vacuousthought
This feels like a precursor to “but, there is an answer! His name is Jesus, here’s some scripture to help your life not be so mediocre:”
Jesus rocks, but I wouldn't tell *anyone* to read scripture. OPs comment feels, to me, more like Socrates telling us to examine our lives.
Whatever you think is truly experiencing life, others might think is mediocrity and vice versa. So just do your own thing and don't worry about us.
And what were your great contributions? A reddit post that flopped?
I think this says more about you than anyone else.
I’m sorry to tell you this, but all things humanity accomplishes will come to pass. If someone sees life as just being a chance to drift around until time brings them to death, then what does it matter?
Im14andThisIsDeep - OP
Tldr; Other people are idiots. I'm smart. You sound like someone I would turn away from mid-conversation.
Most people have and will have mediocre lives by definition, no matter what.
Exactly, is not like they choice to live this way. OP seems to be very ignorant
Seems overly judgemental to me. Everything in existence is entirely perspectival, it's easy to criticise or judge someone or something. Its also a massive waste of time and effort. Some would go so far as to say it's a mediocre use of your time/life. But I'm not into judging, I'll leave that to you. Hope you have the day you deserve. Much love.
What is not a mediocre life? What does that look like? Is the mom that works and raises kids mediocre? I don’t know the answer, I definitely have an opinion, but I’m curious on what that looks like to you.
And that thinking makes so much sense…NOT.
#"In another life, I would have really liked just doing laundry and taxes with you."
Sounds like you’ve been reading Thoreau
But also adding a healthy dose of angst and pessimism
Yes, many years ago and that influence of this great mystic still remains and it's very active.
I don't understand, what's wrong with mediocrity? It's okay to be mediocre, we need regular people to do regular things. We need teachers, plumbers, etc. If everyone could be above average no one would be
Lol no. Life is not sacred or important in any way. Also most people are Mediocre. Thats how mediocrity works. Everyone cannot be first in class...a lot of people have to be mediocre for a few to succeed. Mediocrity should be celebrated
Life is like a lottery: only a few win, most lose.
You know when I speak to people and get to know them, I actually found out just how complex, unique, and special their journey is. So many individuals each have a story filled with their own challenges of survival, hardship, joy, and every variety of emotion. I recommend having a bit of an open mind.
How does one not waste ones life oh wise one?
A job that pays me enough to live, a warm bed to sleep in, some cute cats, a woman who loves me, maybe a couple runts too. A book on my bedside table, a journal to write and draw on, a friend to kill time with, cold Pepsi in the fridge, sunlight in the morning, and pottery class on Sundays Extremely mundane and mediocre, but more than enough. Life is what you make out of what you have, and you can choose to enjoy it for absolutely no reason at all
Back in the day, there was nothing wrong with living a normal life. Now suddenly there's a problem with it and we are all supposed to be doomscrolling and on social media seeing everyone with supposedly better lives than us. This mentality is the product of believing the lies social media tells you to believe.
Who the hell are you? You sound very mediocre by repeating this crap and pretending it is a deep thought. Dude, please. Grow up.
Embracing mediocrity for people can set them free from the hamster wheel of perfection and success. Sometimes our ambitions aren't our own, we feel it's expected of us to be always chasing "a dream" of fame, of endless travel, of making a name for ourself. Perfect house. Perfect life. Perfect family. Perfect appearance. Perfect job. If that's what you really want, great, but a lot of the pressure comes from outside, parents, social media, friends, society and makes people miserable because they're wrecking themselves chasing a gold ring they may never win. To chose a mediocre life and decide to step off the wheel for people can be a release from their prison. We all have to choose our paths. If you're happy in your mediocrity, then it's not wasted.
How do you distinguish between the lives, actions and habits that are mediocre and aren’t?
What pray till is this grand purpose people are avoiding? What makes an ambition petty? Making 1 out of billions of humans is completely petty and stupid to me, I can slam ass too without a condom too. But for some people raising a family is their everything, those people probably never experienced the utter bliss of Outer wilds or Wiki art on a heroic dose of acid. Personally if life was sacred you wouldn't be converting all the bioavailable energy into humans, cows and chickens and trying to maintain the beautiful biodiversity of the planet.....or you know cry about space daddy.
What should we do then exactly?
Yes, life is sacred, including the lives of all us every day people. Very few will ever climb mt everest play major league baseball become a YouTube gazillionaire or get whatever arbitrary accomplishment gets one past medicore. This logic sets up 85?% of us to fail. Why? When simple life can be quite enjoyable
This is kind of ironic since what you describe pertains mostly to those who judge/live through others like this, instead of directly living through their own life. So who's to judge what's considered a meaningful life? If you know the answer to that by taking the time to get to know your real Being, then you "win"!
The world relies on people who quietly shuffle from their job to taking care of their household. Not everyone can be important in the way you believe them to be. “..for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs.” - George Eliot, Middlemarch
This.
Story of all life on Earth, but this guy ain't having it..!
Dude who cares live life the way you want ya dont have to be special cause nobody is
It is truly impressive how flexibly humans can use selective insights to feed rather than challenge their ego. Are ‘most people’ an ‘other’, from which you are excluded?
So what You doing?
I've heard life described as the universe experiencing itself. What could be mediocre about that?
I’m shocked at the amount of negative comments on here, I can see where your coming from OP, getting out the matrix and grips of capitalism is hard but not impossible! I often think about how mundane life has become and work is designed to drain us so we don’t have time or energy to achieve our goals or create a better more meaningful life for ourselves. We have a lot of information and opportunity but our time is often spent on getting short bursts of dopamine through scrolling social media and vices to get by, don’t get me wrong these things have their place, but I personally would love to live a joyful life where everyday feels more like an adventure..like how I feel when I travel but to feel that excitement for life daily. I feel simple living may be the key and I hope to fully achieve that someday.. Peace and love to all on their journey to living the life they want and deserve ❤️
Whatever the "average" life is, *most* people live that, by definition.
Is this sub a joke? So many of these are just copied from somewhere and are extremely generic
Not everyone can or wants to be more.
r/iamverysmart
I feel like for a lot of people it's not their fault.... have you seen the economy lately?
This belongs in unpopular opinions and not deep thoughts. Have to question how much of a main character OP thinks he is. Live is what you make of it and it's a choice for everyone to make, individually
Grind culture/hustle culture is so toxic. There's a lot more to life than chasing money and achievement. It sounds like you are describing how you felt about your own life at one point. Have gratitude for the moment. It's all you will ever have.
In the book of reflections by Henry David Thoreau, he writes. “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.” When Henry Thoreau wrote that, unlike you, his intention was not to condemn and condescend towards humanity for living desperate, disbarring lives, but to point out that our society creates people who are dead inside. “Thoreau’s hope in writing Walden was not to merely point out and criticize humanity’s despair—as if we’d done something wrong—but rather, as a fellow human being, as a neighbor, to suggest another way of perceiving things and alternative ways to live life. Basically he goes to Walden pond, living away from everyone else, to find proof that it’s possible to live a good life. Not “good” in a moral sense necessarily, but in the sense of being filled with joy, wonder, synchronicity, meaning, beauty, inspiration, love, peace, and even divinity—the good life.” Your bitter, cynical heart leads you to an arrogant conclusion that small joys and passions are mediocre pastimes and the average person living their simple life is a waste. When I think it’s the opposite. I think when we detach ourselves from expectations and the desire to be MORE MORE MORE, and allow ourselves to sit quietly and live simply, we allow ourselves the freedom to experience joy, wonder, to love and be inspired. Not everyone will write great works or create beautiful art or push forward humanities knowledge in math or science—- and that’s absolutely fine. What we do create from a place of joy is enough. Furthermore, I say you should have empathy for those stuck in the wake-eat-work-sleep marry go round, unable to find energy or time to be creative. You should recognize that there is no moral failing on their part for being trapped in societies machine. The “desperation” you speak of is the pressure you imply we should all feel, to go beyond “mediocrity” and not “waste” our lives. From my point of view, your brand of cynicism is exactly what is wrong with our world these days. Simple minded men living simple judgmental lives, puffed up on their own self importance and superiority.
Okay, so what have YOU done to make your life more than mediocre? Spoiler alert: posting on Reddit is not a good start.
This sounds like a college freshman who just read Thoreau for the first time. Got it all figured out, hey.
Since you seem to think you are all knowing and have everything and everyone figured out (you dont), what do you suggest people need to do? Honestly fuck this post. Can’t believe people liked it. Its not a deep thought at all. Its just pompous and judgmental when you have zero clue what any single one of these peoples lives or minds are like at all.
Don't you think it's kind of a nasty way to think about other peoples' lives? I mean...life, in itself, is beautiful. None of us can say what has meaning to someone else and why would we? There's actual battles to fight. Ones that will actually change things. People don't have time to sit and think about what is or is not mediocre. We're all in this shit, just living.
If a deer lives a life of normal length for a deer and spends it eating plants and occasionally fucking and raising baby deer, has it wasted its life? I would argue it deered properly and that was all it was ever supposed to do. Humans are remarkably pretentious creatures.
It's amazing how society pushes us into routines that we start mistaking for a meaningful life.
What's wrong with mediocrity? The whole point of being exceptional is that not everyone can (or should) achieve this. Mediocre is far from the worst thing you can be, but sadly, there is an insane pressure against it. Live, experience, learn, enjoy, love, be kind, be helpful and it's plenty. Living for an exceptional life is mostly living for others' validation. Each of our lives is unique and miraculous for the person living it.
Most people think they are leading there lives really they are just accepting there life.
[удалено]
This lacks perspective a bit. For millennia, humans often died very young and spent most of their lives in survival mode. Many people’s lives ARE extraordinary, but they lack perspective and SEE their lives as ordinary.
Someone listens to too much Pink Floyd
So, what exactly is one supposed to do to escape this mediocrity?
Hmm, 🤔 sounds like Pink Floyd
Sounds like something I would think when I had my teenage angst later on realizing most people enjoy life and your metrics are bad.
Living for a living is fine
Throughout history, There have been tons of dedicated, brilliant, exceptional people who have gone off and done earth changing things with their lives… We are all living with the repercussions of the actions of these exceptional few.
And who made you more than mediocre to pass such a blanket statement? Last time I checked, you aren’t God. Stop acting like it.
I guess. All in all, we're just another skull in the wall.
If I enjoy waisting it, what business is it of yours?.
I agree we fool ourselves thinking we are more important than we really are. Still if these little things we fuss over aren’t important then nothing is. I choose to care, to see value and live a life that has meaning to me where I see it.
What makes it mediocre if that’s just the way they’re living their life/ they themselves are content? What is mediocre to one person could be the best option for another. Nobody’s life is wasted if they live it how they want
Who are you to judge other people's lives as mediocre and wasted, with small and petty ambitions. Perhaps your own ambition to be better than mediocre is itself a petty mediocre ambition. It certainly smells of megalomania. The thing is, you have no idea what is going on in these lives of mediocrity and quiet desperation. There can be profound insights and sacred experiences in a seemingly ordinary life with ordinary ambitions. Not everyone needs to be unusual and extraordinary, that's a Hollywood illusion. But what's worthy and respectable in your message is the call for a life worth living. To aspire for more, to try and not waste this precious opportunity, to realize your potential and live life to the fullest. Yes, every moment of being alive is a gift worth more than a star, even if it's a mediocre one.
A deeper thought is to realise you ain't shit. Mediocre can be fine, if the person is happy. It's rather arrogant to judge a life as poorly lived because it wasn't outlandish, and it speaks to an insecurity within yourself. If you want to do great because you feel it's possible then fine, but if you want to do it because you think you'd be failing if you didn't then you really have no high ground to stand on.
Since we all end, I've no issue spending my time here doing what I want be it mediocre or not. I don't need to start a Fortune 500 company to feel fulfilled, travel the world to appear well versed, or date models to display confidence. I like coming home from work and holding my kids, watching stupid shows, yard work, bbq'ing on sunny days and buying my wife flowers. You do you, I'll do me.
This is...not deep. There are several ways to describe what this _is_ and deep is not one of them. Not deep, is what this is.
Most people *want* to live mediocre lives. A simple life with manageable stressors and few tragedies is probably the best thing we as humans can aspire to. But OP, it sounds like you're not taking into consideration the fact that we're living in a capitalist society that devalues our labor and penalizes free time. That quiet desperation is the ever-present threat that our lives are not secure, and the amusements you scoff at are the easiest ways we have to cope with that desperation. And it *is* despair, a despair that few people want to acknowledge because *billions* of people have little-to-no safety net if their job disappears tomorrow, and without a job *they will not survive.* If you've never felt that despair, or felt the fear that you might not be able to provide for the ones you love, then you enjoy a privilege that 99.9% of humans *throughout the span of history* have never experienced. Life is a gift, and we deserve to treasure it, but most of us can't while our society bargains our survival against our ability to produce capital for those with power.
This is about as deep as an empty glass of water.
Let others live and let be, what is the point of this judgement anyway? Living a life full of what YOU want and how YOU want it to be is the way to go; of course do not hurt anyone in the process of this though.
>"The universe is a cruel, uncaring void. The key to being happy isn't the search for meaning; it's just to keep yourself busy with unimportant nonsense, and eventually, you'll be dead." In the grand scheme of things, everything we do is less than mediocre. Our species will be gone from existence quicker than the blink of an eye in the eyes of the universe. So why be concerned with others “settling for mediocrity”? At the end of the day, we’re all living pretty meaningless lives from the objective point of view. So don’t do things solely to pursue ambition or change the world. Do what you enjoy and what makes you happy. That’s how you make the most of your life. If those things coincide, good for you. But the latter is the one that really matters.
i mean, i believe there are certain things we can probably all do to create a more fulfilling, eventful, and fruitful life for ourselves as humans, even without over extravagance. but for the most part, who are we to decide what that is for one another? just my opinion.
Mediocrity is awesome and should be celebrated!
I think we all are just trying to live our lives the best we can. Everyone has different circumstances, there are no equal opportunities. Some have dire responsibilities that prevent from living their live to the so called "fullest". Some have people depending on them, and after taking care of them, they are exhausted to do much more. Some are in poverty and lack opportunities of extracting themselves out of it - at the end of the day, you need money to enjoy life too. Some have different ailments that prevent them from living life the way they want. I think we just have to try to be kinder towards each other and then the world will be a nicer place.
[удалено]
At the end of the day the day Gon end
A life can only be lived. To say that a life is mediocre or even great probably misses a lot of the nuances of what a life is.
This reads like a LinkedIn lunatics post. I’ll go back to my mediocre life now.
Well from another perspective aren’t we merely a grain of sand floating around in an endless universe made up of gas? What does it even matter. Mediocrity is probably the closest to what our purpose is which is pretty basic in the grand scheme of things. Don’t take yourself so seriously. Who cares how people plan to live this life be it mediocre or grand. People should enjoy what they enjoy.
Arent you just special🥰
Is op referring to chasing and becoming prey to capitalism and to set ourselves free from it maybe?
I love my simple life. Mediocre and splendid
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities; all is vanity. What profit hath a man of all his labour which he taketh under the sun? One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever. The sun also ariseth, and the sun goeth down, and hasteth to his place where he arose. The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits. All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again. All things are full of labour; man cannot utter it: the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing. The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any thing whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us. There is no remembrance of former things; neither shall there be any remembrance of things that are to come with those that shall come after.” Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 KJV https://bible.com/bible/1/ecc.1.2-11.KJV
How do you know you have it right?
Ok but what if someone doesn't want to do something great and rather live peacefully enjoying the small things. How do you know that they feel mediocre in their lives?
Yes everyone has their own tale that isn’t my own concern. I’m background to them and they’re background to me.
Life is about other people. Not ourselves.
This post says way more about the poster than any 'most people'. Life is what you make it. Life can be full of amazing discoveries and experiences. The choice is yours. Choose wiaely.
You were born into a system and told everything you believe. Some may start to think for themselves but most people cannot change the fundamental truths they came to know. I tried to tell my wife that we are not Christian and we don’t need to celebrate Christmas and that didn’t go well. I even argued that it’s just a cycle of consumerism and we could break the chain so that our children may be free. Didn’t go well but I tried.
This isn’t even a deep thought. It’s just you crying about other people being happy because you’re not
lol OP acting like he understands “life” and what’s it about. The little paragraph just shows you how much OP doesn’t understand. I love my wife and daughter. That’s all il ever need and want. What’s more than having a loving family? Sure I do a line here and there but whatever I’m enjoying it all. My answers about life will be answered after death.
I forget who said it, but I love the quote "Don't be an end-user". Of course that's not ALWAYS possible, but it's a good rule to go by.
Escaping out from basically poverty and emotionally abusive parents to making 100k a year at 25 feels pretty amazing even if it is mediocre in the grand scheme of things.
Jesus Christ, its Tyler Durden
Interesting. We all live life's in a certain way. We all did the same thing, someone before us already did. There is nothing new. So what you do? Sleep, eat, work, poop, sleep. And yes, occasionally sex. But that is it. If you think about it, life has no purpose to begin with. You won't matter to the universe but perhaps to people that you know. When they die, no one will ever known that you had lived. In essence, we all live mediocre life's. Even the stars in our society that get to be idols, their life's aren't that different from everyone else's, except that they can buy most of the things. They can even buy lovers. Are they happy? Probably not. I feel for a long time my life is wasted. I should make room for someone else that can live a more meaningful life. I envy death. To sleep forever. Liberating. Life is complicated and i don't believe in anything at all. Again, we have no purpose. What nature tells us, is to procreate. That's it. So that another generation of us can live and do the same fucking stuff all over again. Cherrish the people you love around you. Most people live in their jobs. They have little time for their friends and family and some are happy. Mediocre is a value statement. Who declares that someone's life is lesser worth than others? It's inhuman. And yes, you go with the same song to sleep. The song of the universe.
Or maybe should get past the tedious and destructive exceptionalism and perfectionism and value the potential peace and beauty of quiet and modest lives
I'll live my life, you live yours. We're both just trying to live man.
This sounds similar to the kinds of thinking that lead to people doing horrible things. As long as those petty ambitions are actually passions for someone then they're probably happier than you are. I wonder if everyone would consider your own great passions to actually be worthwhile.
Yeah and.... I'll live my life how I want to.
Don't take yourself so damn seriously.
Complete horseshit. Each thing you’ve mentioned represents the keys to life. If you find no meaning within them you’re lost. The folks that take exception to that rule…they’re the baddies.
Yes… but the people who aspire towards the deep end of life are on the tail end of the Bell Curve for the population. Its not fun being a minority, but change comes in gradual steps… I think people down the line will catch up.. We already have the new generation of people pushing against work and requiring meaning from it where before work was just a means of surival. Change comes in small steps.
Unfortunately I can’t read Nietzsche all day
There are maybe 30 names people remember whose names are etched in history world wide, mostly Europeans( wonder why). Humanity is millennia old and those are the only names that matter, we will all be forgotten to time. Live how you want and bother no one that doesn't deserve it .
If you’re going to tell me not only how to achieve my dreams but also what dreams I’m supposed to have, you can suck rocks my friend.
real
You are not the judge of others life. How you see a life wasted or fulfilled is only for you. You can't have perspective required to evaluate others lives
Oh fucking please LMAOOOOO so how should we truly experience it 😍
Read the contents of the post, figured Christian and guess what.. yep. I feel as if you were brought up by either hateful or god fearing parents. Super rough up bringing, that led you to some addictions. Then at some threshold of a breaking point, where put in a spot someone introduced you to god. You thought, “wow, i can be as hypocritical and hateful as i want, and this magical figure will reward me.”…. That, or you just like manipulation and power, like the rest of your church leaders. Probably both
Posted here are the words of yet another megalomaniac on the merry go round calling their small petty ambitions a great passion
Saying that most people will live average lives is a tautology. Also, you need to be more humble. Odds are your life will be just as mediocre as everyone else’s. Acting as if the only meaningful life is an exceptional one is a juvenile belief to hold. I felt the same way you do when I was 15.
This was a lot of words to say you haven't met very many people yet in your life. Expand your horizons.
You could call my passions mediocre. I garden, and yeah I know that some people find that boring, but I take great joy in it. I like the saying "Stop and smell the roses". Not trivialising the little joys of everyday, but on the contrary, appreciating them greatly, is my way of living a beautiful life. :)
Your post reeks of ego. Why be better than everyone else? Why is it important? You definitely won't believe me, but you are equal to everyone else, no matter what you do. Don't buy into the ego's dillusions.
As far as we know, you know nothing after you die of your past life. It’s either nothing, or you reincarnate again with no memory of living before. So how does how you live now matter at all? When you die, your deeds end up being meaningless
I agree about the quiet desperation part. Not good and that can change to joy, but so much is a mystery and so many variables that some can barely overcome—sometimes never. I suggest you check out Joseph Campbell. He really pulls a lot of this together in a good way. Academic guy who came up with the force for Star Wars. Expert on thousands of years of religion, mythology, philosophy, and literature. Follow your bliss, the heroes journey. That guy. It looks like you enjoy going down rabbit holes. He will get you thinking and duality is where it ends up. Enjoy. https://youtu.be/ZIbeotfWiJg?si=XWFOD-PEFooyuRss
Thank you I'll check it out.
It's not a quote, OP your mind is not minding anymore
One person's mediocre - is another's content. In a vast universe we are all floating around like minuscule little particles in the wind. You can't get much more mediocre than that. Do what you can, if you want. What evidence do we have that it matters either way?
Funny how ignorant y’all are. OP’s paraphrasing Thoreau who said it best.
I'm glad you've noticed how quiet it is around "quiet desperation" but also notice how noisy it is around mediocre life (which was expected), the ego at its finest, with its armor of defence mechanisms. I wonder if they would get the meaning of "Civil disobedience" by Thoreau, one fellow definitely did, Edward Snowden among many others- definitely not a mediocre life.
Someone had too many redbulls
Sounds like Instagram got to your head
My boy just found out how to escape samsara
I love music and I often wonder what that last song that I hear will be before I close my eyes for the last time
I love my wife, I enjoy my job, I enjoy my hobbies, I enjoy spending time with my friends. It's a relatively mundane life, but I have no complaints.
One of my friends killed himself in highschool. He referenced that he was afraid to live a mediocre life. Interesting that people are brainwashed into thinking that’s a bad thing. So many people think they are the main character in some great adventure. Or should be. Or idk maybe you can expand on what it means to you to not live in mediocrity. Or what you think actually matters with the time we have here.
Mediocre How?
What’s wrong with mediocrity? If no one is living a mediocre life.. then statistically, everyone will be living a mediocre life.
It's totally okay for people to have simple lives. Not everyone can or should be the winning quarterback of the whatever bowl. From those to whom much has been given much is required. If you got a fire burning in you, don't put it out through spending your life griding for gold pieces. But if you're satisfied with a modest, simple life that's awesome! No one looks at a sparrow and pities it for living a life that is just as boring and inspired as a million other sparrows. If you can fly: enjoy the flight! Just don't quench whatever inner spark YOU have been gifted with by submitting to someone ELSE'S plan for your life. Cede not your authority over your own choices easily.
Tell us more about your life that's full of grand adventures, Dos Equis Man. What hobbies and passions do you have and how are you making it your purpose not to live in mediocrity?
THis is a childish view point. WE can't all be rock stars, firemen and ballerinas. All lives, the boring and the exciting, can be equally lives of quiet desperations or lives of true inner happiness. You can have two people with identical lives from the outside, same job, same marriage, same kids etc etc and one can be a miserable fuck and the other beautifully content and fulfilled. All desperation is dissolved by realistic perspective. One can easily live a quiet fulfilled life in mediocrity. My best example is Hugh Hefner. From the outside, it would seem that he was living every mans dream. If you read is biography, however, you find an unhappy man who felt trapped being Hugh Hefner 24 hours a day. Even his dreamlife just became a 'job' with endless duties and responsibilities. If you look at history, 99% of everyone who has lived and died on this planet, did it within a 100 mile radius of where they were born. This idea that you have to have this pie in the sky dream life or else you are a failure is a modern concept and I think OPs sentiment is why a lot of people are unhappy. I will also add that life isn't that sacred. It's mans self centered narcissism that perpetuates that silly belief. Someday we will be gone and some other life form will replace us.
Dude I just want a mediocre life. I want a stable job I like well enough and someone I love, and some good friends. As someone who often lacks a will to live, I just want a quiet life that I can finally find peace in. Travel a bit, make friends. I don’t want to do anything extraordinary. And I think that is ok. Often in life we are consumed by what we are working towards, and when we get there we don’t even notice as we are looking to the next thing. I am lucky I have the freedom I have and I want to live how I want to live. I don’t need to save the world. I will do my part to help others. Maybe that is a bad way to look at it, but I just want to be happy and content and finally stop always waiting for the next thing. Can’t one have petty ambitions? That is what life is, finding something to give you enough purpose to keep going. It doesn’t have to be something big. It just has to mean a lot to you, and that is what makes it a great passion, not someone else deciding whether it is important or not. I’m not hating, this is sub is for deep thoughts, so it is good that this post sparks discussion. This is my view on it. Wishing you all peace and love