SUMMARY: Many of us at one time or another in our lives feel that life is passing us by, that we are not getting as much out of it as possible. For most of us who feel that way, there are ready remedies in entertainment, consumerism, and so forth — at least at first. But for others, the desire for something more cannot be solved in such ways. In this post, I look at what I consider the ultimate solutions to the problem of wanting more from life.
(About a 9 minute read)
It’s a curious fact that when a person is down and out, they can be too down and out to want to think there is more to life than their current fate. The thought of a better life can be too painful to contemplate under the circumstances.
But for most of us, there are times in our lives when we are discontent, profoundly discontent, and in search of something more. That sort of feeling is usually accompanied in my experience by boredom with life as it is, and perhaps a sense it will never get much better.
At which point, many of us instinctively turn to entertainments, to consumerism, to self-improvement books and articles, to politics, or religion. Sometimes we switch jobs, buy a bigger house, take a vacation, or even — and I have seen this happen — get married or plan children out of boredom and to escape that feeling there should be something more to life than what we have.
