Treading water
u/Critical-Sense-1539, r/Pessimism
I get a similar sentiment whenever I come across popular “self-improvement” content. I’ve never bought any promises that I could ever better my life or progress in any real sense, for no matter what I achieve, I will always be striving. I don’t get inspired whenever I see someone struggle really hard for wealth, influence, a big muscly body, a romantic relationship, or some other insipid marker of success.
I see a futility in these attmepts to attain “fulfilment” or the “good life”, a bit like the futility of treading water. You swing your arms and kick your legs to stay afloat, just so you’re able to breathe for a moment longer. However, no matter how hard you try, you’re not going to get out of the water. You’re always sinking so to stay above water, you have to expend effort over and over and over again until you’ve got none left to expend.
I see all pursuits for fulfilment in this sort of image; we are always lacking something. Living to try and satisfy all your desires is a game that you can only ever lose because for every desire that one satisfies, another shall show up in its place. Now, realizing this probably won’t fix the pain associated with not achieving your desires but it might help alleviate feelings of self-hatred or guilt for having a “bad life”. After all, there’s no need to feel bad about yourself for losing a game that was impossible to win all along.