Is Life That Horrible That You Constantly Need to Get Away From It?

If you’re caught up in distractions, then you’re probably chasing happiness. Here’s what you can do.

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay

Do you know the fear that arises when you think about how much time you’ve wasted? You only have so much time in your life, and the watch’s ticking — mercilessly. Second by second. You look back and it has been another week, another month, and too often another year. And all you have to show for it is a few problems solved, maybe some great nights out with your friends, a holiday with your family.

According to those who ponder the shortness of time, they all want to do meaningful things in their life so that they can look back and say: I’ve spent my time well. I’ve done something meaningful with my life. While others have wasted their entire life on short-term desires, I have had the foresight to do what really matters: To spend my time well.

Roman philosopher Seneca wrote:

“As far as I am concerned, I know that I have lost not wealth but distractions. The body’s needs are few: it wants to be free from cold, to banish hunger and thirst with nourishment; if we long for anything more we are exerting ourselves to serve our vices, not our needs.”
― Seneca, On the Shortness of Life

I wonder how many people can live up to those standards. Looking around, I’d say not many. It seems that with every year, the ways to distract ourselves from living become more sophisticated. We want distraction so much, you must wonder is life that horrible that you need to get away from it?

Even 5-year-olds would rather take a phone and look into a display than see the miracles of life (probably just mimicking their parents).

It seems as though we are hiding from life when we distract ourselves. We know it’s wrong, but we keep doing it — obsessively.

Then why do we forget? If life is so much better than social media feeds, why do we keep wasting time? And why do we fear it?

We don’t really fear wasting time, we fear dying without having lived to the fullest. But even that — what is ‘the fullest’?