4 ms·

Man, some days I wish I could give up an eye and an arm to have the quiet but intense passion I've seen in some people. I've tried cultivating whatever hint of

• Bakary 6y ago
  I don't think guilt or self-blame is warranted here. After all, you can't choose what to desire almost by definition. You can only choose to pursue your desires or not, and that's assuming free will is a meaningful concept to begin with. It also has to be said that modern life isn't particularly conducive to inspired existences. At dark times in my life I've felt the exact same as you: the idea that there is some spark missing that disqualifies us from being human. But looking at it more dispassionately (pun not intended), it's clear that this is neither a helpful nor particularly correct way of framing the problem. On one hand, much of life is random, and on the other the value of small things and a contemplative life is often disparaged without reason. I can recommend the essay The Concept of Experience by Mark Grief as it helped me a lot on this specific point.