On Misery

I've decided that I agree with Jordan Peterson.

No, not that socialism inevitably leads to totalitarian regimes that commit mass murder and other atrocities.

I agree with him that life is suffering, and you're not going fix that. If you find a moment of happiness, GREAT! Soak it up. You're a lucky, lucky bastard.

For the most part, though, you're not going to be happy. I think we're programmed to be unhappy, and no matter how good things get, to always be looking for something better. (This serves an obvious evolutionary purpose that I can explain in comments on the off chance that anyone is interested. )

What we need to do is find a way to make our lives have enough purpose to justify the misery.

The real misery of my life is not in the details. The details of my life are amazing. It's in the lack of purpose or the feeling that I serve any function more useful than making money for someone else.

I've found purpose over the years working with young people, but I always allow myself to start to feel overwhelmed and pull back. At 51 years of age, I suppose I should accept that as my nature and just ride that cycle.

So, recently (well, within the last couple of years, at any rate), I got overwhelmed and pulled back. Now I'm feeling the pointlessness of my existence. Guess it's time to find some meaning again.