Tuesday, July 1, 2008

The Geography of Bliss

"And that, I realize, is the problem with hedonic floaters like Cynthia and with many of us Americans and our perpetual pursuit of happiness. We may be fairly happy now, but there's always tomorrow and the prospect of a happier place, a happier life. So all options are left on the table. We never fully commit. That is, I think, a dangerous thing. We can't love a place, or a person, if we always have one foot out the door."

This, I think, is the problem with too many options. We're constantly looking for the next best thing and so don't take the time to appreciate what we have, or recognize the value in what we have. Because the "next thing" doesn't exist yet, we're free to make it/imagine it into anything and everything we want it to be. Which sometimes makes it hard to really see what we have. It's good to be ambitious, have goals, etc, but don't forget to stop and smell the proverbial roses.

I've observed a rise in commitment-phobia in my friends lately. I'm not sure if we're just at that age or if we really are just products of this forward-looking, future-seeking culture.

No comments: