“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and die with their song still inside them”
-Henry David Thoreau
The call of the cubicle, the punching in and the punching out. The press of the keyboard and the clickty click of the mice.
Unfortunately, these are the conditions of the modern day “rat race” employee. These are the horrible conditions that many individuals find themselves in during their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
Why do people accept that this is the life that they live, that there’s no way out, that they can’t live life on their own terms and live the life of their dreams?
Why do people settle and live in quiet desperation?
This Henry David Thoreau quote means a lot to me personally because I’ve been urged my entire life towards the path that society “wants” me to take.
The path of: go to college, get a degree, use your degree to get a job, climb the ladder and make your money and then retire “comfortably” in your 60s.
That path sounds utterly boring and miserable to me. In fact, it doesn’t just sound like that to me, I see it. I see it everywhere I look.
When I see people on their lunch breaks, getting coffee, getting off the train from work, etc. I see misery. I see people who are just finally relieved to get off work.
I see people who can’t wait to go home, crack open some beers or a bottle of wine and drown their sorrows of a terrible day.
Now, I don’t want people to think that this is the only way for these type of people. Some of them (working class indivduals) actually enjoy going to work and they enjoy the work that they do.
They enjoy the simplicity of showing up, doing some tasks for their boss, getting paid and then going home to enjoy whatever they enjoy. And hey, if you’re one of those people, then congratualtions on being happy with your life. I mean that sincerely. Being happy is the ultimate reward and I hope that you continue to prosper in the life that you’ve chosen to lead.
But this is not what I see 99% of the time I see these working class individuals. I see the misery, I see the longing for a better life. I see the quiet desperation to do something greater with their talents and their creativity.
So this is my PSA (public service announcement) to people like this:
I understand that you have bills to pay and I understand that you need your job and your income and your benefits right now. But what I don’t understand is why you continually complain about being in a crappy situation and not doing what you truly love when you have the option to break free.
How do you break free when you’re neck deep in bills and rent? You break free by being determined to do so.
You break free by doing whatever it takes. You break free by saving whatever you can out of each paycheck and investing in something long-term. You break free by pursuing your passion in your off time. You break free by developing and broadening your skillset.
There are so many ways to break free and I know that you’re capable of doing so. You just have to be willing to eat some dirt and white-knuckle your way to a better life.
That’s what I did. I worked hard, I saved my money and I invested it wisely. I did that for several years and now I can live life on my own terms. I can write all day, I can go to the gym, I can read books, listen to podcasts… Whatever I want.
I can do this because I earned it. I can do this because I had the balls to dream of a better life and then actually do something about it.
If you’re unhappy with your situation in life, then please. Please. Figure out what you need to do to get to a better situation and then work your butt off to make it happen. It’s the only way.
Don’t live in quiet desperation. Live in loud jubilation.