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Living an Audaciously Mundane Life
Finding wonder in everyday life
We have created a culture that works to tear us apart from the inside. You’ve seen the stories and stats about how we are lonelier than ever, our teenagers are more neurotic than ever, and we hate each other more than ever. At the same time, thousands of books, podcasts, articles, and social media posts tell us how to be extraordinarily happy.
Scrolling on social media is an exercise in outrage. If social media apps were your only source of information, you would think that the only things we have an abundance of in this world are anger and inadequacy.
We scheme to make more money by being more productive with our side hustles. If you are not rich and taking fabulous vacations to fantastic destinations, you are losing.
Our culture tells us the only way to be happy is to be extraordinary. But unless you live in Lake Wobegon, where all the children are above average, it’s impossible for most of us to live extraordinary lives.
We live in a time of deep dissatisfaction. In the United States, much of that dissatisfaction is driven by an intractable set of real problems. However, our huckster culture that peddles detox cures, minimalism, and get-rich-quick schemes also plays a significant part in generating a sense of isolation.
On top of this, we now have techbros trying to push AI as the next great solution to our economic woes. Of course, AI is just a high-tech game of three-card monte. We regular people will never win playing that game.
If all of this sounds bleak, you must understand there is hope. But the way out of this situation requires a change in your mindset.
When the game is rigged, the only way to win is not to play.
If you want to live a life of contentment and happiness, you need to be brave enough to fully enjoy a mundane existence.
You have to live an audaciously mundane life.
I’m a late Gen-Xer. That means my parents were Baby Boomers, and my grandparents were all survivors of the…
